“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”
– Zig Ziglar.

We are living in very challenging times at present given the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that is affecting the world. Many people across the world are having to cope with a new way of being including adhering to lockdown measures and social distancing.

Sadly, the official death figures for people who have died from Covid -19 in the UK went past 26,000 last week and this continues to rise at a fast rate daily. These are truly shocking figures and It‘s so sad how many lives this dreadful disease has claimed.

Last week, I received confirmation that a cricket match I was due to attend in June had been postponed. This was a Test match between England and the West Indies at Lords, the home of cricket in London. The ground has a capacity of 28,000 people. It struck me that the number of people who have died from this horrible virus in the UK would almost fill the Lords cricket ground. It was a very sobering thought.

This realisation really made me stop and think and for me it underlined the importance of everyone adhering to the social distancing rules that have been introduced. More and more during this period, I am realising how I have taken so much in life for granted and thought that it would always be possible to do all the things that I enjoy. Things such as walking and sitting on the beach, going to the cinema, attending concerts and sports events, spending time with family and friends. I didn’t think I would ever have to queue to do supermarket shopping or that toilet rolls would be in short supply!

In the fast paced, competitive and materialistic world that we all lived in prior to the current crisis, I saw many people get caught in the trap of thinking about what they lacked, their setbacks and challenges. They dwelled on the things that they weren’t good at and needed to improve. Many people have told me over the years how they dedicated much time and headspace to wishing things were different and reliving mistakes they made.

It is easy for us all lose sight of the strengths, natural talents and gifts that we possess. We can all too easily gloss over our successes, achievements and not spend time celebrating them. When we get really busy, we can lose sight of what is important to us and the opportunities and resources available to us.

We can overlook all that there is to be grateful for and to appreciate about life. We can also omit to give ourselves credit for the effort we expended in achieving something or for the help we gave to others to help them achieve their goals.

A few key thoughts came to me last week as I reflected on the very sad UK death figures. Firstly, good health is the real wealth in life! Secondly, that life is short, precious and fragile. Finally, that life is a gift.

I feel it’s important that we all continually count our blessings and be grateful for all we have done, the experiences we’ve had and for all the special people in our life.

The following piece of writing feels very relevant at present:

Life is a gift

Today before you say an unkind word

Think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food

Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your partner

Think of someone who’s crying out for a companion.

Today before you complain about life

Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance, you drive

Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job

Think of the unemployed, who wish they had your job.

And if depressing thoughts seem to get you down

Put a smile on your face and think: you’re alive and still around.

Author unknown

This week’s thought:

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect and consider if there’s an area of your life where you would like to show more appreciation and gratitude. What are 10 things in your life that you can be grateful for right now?

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