One Breath of Gratitude

Originally written in 2019. Revisited and rewritten in 2025—with a deeper breath, a little more clarity, and the metaphors it always deserved.

Gratitude isn’t just about saying thank you. It’s about learning how to see, even on the days when everything feels a little dull, or a little hard, or just… not enough.
Here’s what I’ve learned, six years and several deep breaths later.

Gratitude is more than saying thank you.

It’s not just a polite response to kindness. It’s not just something you say when someone holds the elevator. Gratitude is a way of being—of noticing life, in all its chaos and beauty, and whispering to it: I see you.

Too often, we treat the universe like a customer service desk. We rush to the temple, mosque, or church with our urgent demands: the job, the promotion, the partner, the house. It’s like a drive-through at McDonald’s—except we don’t pay anything and still expect instant delivery at the next window.

And when we get what we want? We forget to say thank you. We don’t return to the same place with folded hands—we’re already too busy crafting our next wishlist.

It’s only when something dramatic happens—a loss, a birth, a crisis, a miracle—that we pause. That we breathe. That we remember gratitude.

But what if we didn’t wait for life to shake us up?

Some days, it’s hard to feel grateful. Especially when things don’t go our way. It’s like trying to taste food when you’re grieving—it all just turns to mud in your mouth.

What if, right now, we observed one breath—just one—and asked:

What am I grateful for this week?

Or this year?

Or always?

Are you grateful for your hands that type and stir and hold?

Your legs that take you places, even when you’re too tired to notice?

Your mouth that speaks your truth (and eats cake)?

Your brain that runs the whole show, glitchy as it is?

Are you grateful for the people who annoy you and the ones who love you?

For the sun, the rain, the air, the water?

For the things you take for granted—until they disappear?

Gratitude isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness.

Maybe if we practiced it more, we’d waste less. Hurt less. Complain less. Rush less.

So make it a daily practice.

When you sit down to be mindful—just for a few minutes—let gratitude join you. Like a quiet friend who doesn’t need to say much to make you feel better.

Because life is happening. Right now. And it’s worth noticing.

Start with one breath.

And one small thank you.