How Gratitude Brings Joy

Gratitude is a wonderful, mysterious thing. Throughout my childhood, my parents always told my siblings and I that “thank you” were magic words. As a kid, I took it at face value. Whenever I said, “Thank you,” people told me what a nice little girl I was. So I kept doing it. 

Now that I’m nearing menopause, though, being thankful has taken on a new meaning for me. There is a certain power, I realise, in being grateful. When I am thankful for even the smallest things, I can transform my world into one full of WONDER and JOY. Even just the act of waking up in the morning presents so many things to be grateful for: being alive another day, waking up on a comfortable bed next to my partner, having a sumptuous breakfast to look forward to, and all the possibilities a new day brings.