Gratitude goes beyond thankful

How often do we hear about the importance of recognizing what we are grateful for? I think we hear it a lot. Oprah Winfrey pushed the idea of gratitude into the mainstream over a decade ago. Through the “magic of Oprah,” there were gratitude journals all over the place. Unfortunately, like most things tossed into popular culture, there’s a risk of becoming desensitized to it.

It’s easy nowadays to consider the practice of gratitude as a glance over social media, only to be forgotten 30 seconds later. Or maybe it’s a quick check-in at the end of a yoga session. There’s not a real pause for thought, or reflection, or awareness of second part of gratitude: a willingness to appreciate and reciprocate kindness. How many of us express our gratitude this way? I know I’ve failed before.

What does this have to do with running? Everything. My past few blogs have been about struggling with my health and how this period of time has reminded and taught me the importance of resiliency and mental strength. I’ve had to look deep to find the positive in what has been a pretty lousy month of training. I’ve found the good in the situation. It’s been a real opportunity for self-reflection and time of growth.

However, what can get lost in all this self-reflection is an appreciation for what’s surrounding me. As a runner, it’s easy to slip into a mentality hyper-focused on self. What are my training paces? How did I feel on this morning’s run? Is my breathing better? How much recovery do I need? How many kilometres did I run this week?

The runner’s life, in many ways, is self-centered. In some ways that’s fine — you have to be tremendously, sometimes painstakingly, aware of yourself when pushing your body and mind to reach new heights. Where it goes wrong, for me, is when I get so hyper-focused I lose sight of how fortunate I am to be doing what I love and of how thankful I am to have people supporting me and making this beautiful life of running a reality.

These are the people I turn to when the inevitable doubt which accompanies any great challenges begin creeping in. They are also the people I to turn to when the hard work and commitment starts to pay off and goals get met. Most importantly, these are the people I want on my journey — to share in it all.

This week I went back and read my blog “It Takes a Team.” It’s very much a writing of gratitude. I’ve found there is great power in writing things down — not only my goals, but also my feelings and attitude.

The ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, the exhilaration and the doubt, are not felt solely by the runner. The gamut of emotion is a shared experience with those closest. If not kept in check it can be a roller coaster for those showing the most kindness.

Writing down what I’m thankful for is helping me move closer to a more complete expression of my gratitude. One that goes beyond being thankful to consistently returning the kindness I receive.