Why say thanks only today?

Thanksgiving is here! Let’s put on those gratitude hats!

“We don’t celebrate thanksgiving in India,” is the usual response.

But weren’t we taught to be grateful in India? Besides, Indian or American, being grateful doesn’t need a day of celebration now, does it?

Then again, why would anyone decide to be grateful on this particular day of the year when we haven’t had the time to notice the good things in our life, all throughout the year?

I don’t believe in answering the question why? Let’s instead get to the how and the what. That just makes life far easier; at least it does for me.

Gratitude just sounds rather fancy, but basically the idea is to say thank you. How many times in a day are we thankful? How often do we say thank you for the things that we take for granted? The number of things that we take for granted is just endless. Be it the breakfast laid out on the table when your mother is around, the ironed clothes, folded sheets or polished shoes. Wait! That was only till we got out of home.

Then we started finding temporary gratitude for the electricity that comes back just in time for you to take a shower in the morning, the red light that turns green for us to make it in time to office or that chaiwala, who diligently brings your cup of tea every morning and afternoon. You realise your attachment to that cup of tea and the favour he does only on those days when both you and the chaiwala decide to take off.

Strange that most of us have had those days in college when with just Rs. 30 we managed to treat a gang of five to chai and samosa. And also had some change left for a coffee afterwards. I don’t know about you. But for me, the best part of those days was the fun, the conversations, the company and the gratitude in that time spent together. Invariably, most of us were always broke, but we always managed to scrape something to be able to spend those few moments together.

Even with the risk of sounding old and may be a little wise, I choose to ask the question. Where is that gratitude now for all those simple things in life? Today, with all that money we make, how far are we willing to go to acknowledge the gratitude we feel for those simple things in life? How can we build grand ideas and dreams and, more so, companies without the gratitude for the simple things in life?

So instead of answering the why, this Thanksgiving - although I’m no American - I have decided to answer the what’s and how’s of being grateful for simple things in life. I think I will start with the maid in my office. I’m grateful that she takes the trash out every day. Thanks to her, I don’t have mosquitoes annoying me all day. As for the maid at home, I think I should express some gratitude to her as well and thank myself for being patient with me and taking care of me. Surprise! Surprise! Who said anything about expressing gratitude only to others? What about yourself?

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