"Gratitude is a must!" That's the phrase I always heard from my mother during my childhood years.
Silly me used to think it was no big deal. She would say "thank you" to everyone even for the littlest things.
A neighbor of ours who lived in the next flat once traveled down to her hometown and came back with salt as a gift for my mother. She accepted it and thanked the neighbor and you could see she was genuinely happy.
It didn't make sense to me then because we used to buy our provisions in bulk at home, and at the time she was given the salt, we had more than a bag of it in the house.
"We have salt to last us two years at least, why did you accept the salt from Mrs.Olowoikuboro?" I asked my mom innocently, I wanted to know. "How come salt was the only thing she could bring back for you? Something as cheap as salt shouldn't be given as a gift, anyone can get it anywhere." I added my second question before she had a chance to answer the first.
She smiled and sat me down in the living room where we were having the discussion. "You see my dear daughter, the value of the gift does not matter, it's not even the thought that counts, it's the fact that I didn't give her a penny to buy it for me. She knows every woman uses salt in her kitchen, and it's a very useful gift. Saying the salt is cheap is wrong, it's a statement loaded with a sense of entitlement. She doesn't owe me anything, she went out of her way, and dipped her hand into her pockets to get me something."
"I see." I nodded in agreement.
"You know the best part? The salt is really valuable, as valuable as gold is in a time of need. How does a soup or stew taste without salt? Bland." She said answering her question. I would have you know that she gifted me something valuable. What's more? God loves people that show gratitude, it allows them to obtain more favor."
Her last statement couldn't have been truer as I was to later discover.
My grandmother was sick at a particular time, and it was very chronic. Hospitals did their best and it didn't amount to much. Her sickness had drained the family, and she wasn't getting better.
Mrs. Olowoikuboro suggested to my mother that there was a leaf from her hometown that could cure what ails my grandmother if she was interested. At this point, my mother was ready to try anything even though she didn't believe in it cause she was exhausted.
Mrs. Olowoikuboro traveled back to her hometown and brought the said lead. Lo and behold, my grandmother used it according to the prescription and I'm pleased to tell you that it worked very well. I won't go into details, I'd rather not bore you.
My point? If my mother had not shown gratitude for the gift she was given, the woman wouldn't have been pleased to suggest the leaf. I learned my first lesson in gratitude, and since then I'm always grateful whenever someone goes out of their way to help me.
I realized too as an adult that it's a selfish world out here, and people only look out for themselves.
I don't blame them though, some people don't even deserve to be helped because they have a sense of entitlement. People are so brazen to the extent that they would complain about someone giving them something little, especially celebrities.
These people worked hard for their money, and if they prefer not to do handouts, it's very okay. If you want to call shots on money, work for yours and appropriate it however you deem fit.
Gratitude shouldn't only be in play on financial matters, some people impart knowledge that is better than money in one's life. Let's be grateful for that too. Some people just want to get money that they didn't work for, they would rather skip lectures that would better their lives and collect miserly money to be on their way. People are selfish, it's cold outside. If you have someone or people being there for you always, appreciate them.
I've had my friends and family turn up for me when I was in bad spots, and I'm always doing the same for them cause I appreciate and value their contribution in my life too. I don't take the presence of my brother, sister, mother, children, and my only friend in my life for granted cause they pull up whenever I call. I consider myself lucky to have them cause very few people would stick out their necks for other people. The people that surround me made the highlights of my past year and I'm filled with gratitude to have them.
Finally, I'll like to say a big "thank you" to myself too for the kind of person I am. I held strong under pressure and I'm grateful for the kind of woman I am. Another person might have crumbled under heavy responsibilities, but not me. I'm grateful for me, Oluwaseyifunmi Alagbe. If no one is grateful to have me, which is not the case by the way, I'm grateful to me for having me, lol.
That being said, whenever you have someone or people rooting for you, remember the quote, "Gratitude is a must!" It's not easy out there.
IMAGE CREDITS BY ME.
