Painting with gratitude

I read recently that there's scientific research based on the benefits of being grateful; it can purportedly bring one greater happiness in life and help with elements of anxiety, depression and stress. There's even evidence showing gratitude can improve sleep, cardiovascular health and overall physical health. Hmm, interesting.

I'm not sure about all of that because I'm a knucklehead not a scientist but what I know for sure is that it feels good to be on the receiving end of a little gratitude. A genuine smile or nod of thanks, the words thank you or I appreciate you or some such small token have great power and when I receive them it feels great; it makes me feel valued. I believe receiving gratitude has that same effect on others also, most anyway.

It makes sense then that showing gratitude to others is also a highly valuable activity and comes with benefits as well - Clearly for those receiving it but also for the giver as well. In general I'd say that gratitude, giving or receiving, has many benefits overall.

I use gratitude in my real life daily - internally and externally - it's easy to do, as simple as deploying a smile, a friendly comment, a thank you or even just acknowledging some of the things I'm personally grateful for in my own mind...It's something that feels good. I use it here on hive too - Thanking a person for a comment, a post or for something they may have done just seems logical and community-oriented. It passes value from one to another, goodwill and a feeling of respect...Throw enough of those pebbles in the pond and the ripples start to reach the edges right?

I believe Friedrich Nietzsche says it better than my poor words ever could. He seems to have captured the essence of gratitude perfectly.

I believe we are the painters of our own lives and we do so on a blank canvas that, over the term of our lives, becomes coloured by how we act when no one is looking, how we treat others, the respect we afford them, connections we make and nurture and through our interactions with those around us and with the planet itself.

It's with those colours and the moments we live, the brush-strokes we create, that we paint our personal canvas and we have the ability to design it in the image we would like it to be. Did you paint with gratitude today? Tell me below.