Giving thanks

Gratitude. We are brought up to show and it and say our pleases and thank you’s.

It’s interesting how some cultures (like in the UK) say please and thank you for pretty well everything and then subconsciously expect it in return from everyone, wherever they are.

Whereas other cultures say it just when they feel it’s needed and feel that we Brits overdo it massively.

I know I struggled at first in Menorca, where I now live, with the fact that when driving and giving way to other cars or people, people rarely even give you eye contact, let alone say thank you!

The people here are great, they’re always saying ‘Bon Dia’ to passers by, but if you let someone across a zebra crossing here or give them the right of way, don’t expect a smile, a polite hand gesture or even acknowledgement of your existence at all!

They’re not being rude, it’s just not in their upbringing or culture to say thank you for such things.

It got me really wound up when I first moved out here and Jess had to straighten me out on many occasions as the whole notion of not saying thank you was totally alien to me!

It’s interesting the importance we can put on a gesture so simple.

The importance we can build in our minds over what is not even in the thought of someone else. It makes me think of a phrase I have heard many times said slightly differently over the years, but I like this version from Jen Groover best; “Nothing has a meaning, unless you give it a meaning!”

However with all that said, whatever your background and culture, giving thanks for where you are right now is so important. Appreciating the life you have.

I know this is a very generalised comment but if you have running water, a roof over your head and access to education then you’re in a much better situation that half of the worlds 7 billion population.

The fact that we have luxuries like access to the internet and have the privilege to be able to wrap ourselves in comfortable, clean clothes, to kayak down rivers, to soak up beautiful views from the top of a mountain and so much more is a blessing.

The ability to travel within the UK or Worldwide for fun, to chase our hobbies would have been reserved just for the super-rich not so many years ago.

The medical services we have, the technology – all incredible.

The fact that you can be on the other side of the World in just over 24 hours is something our many ancestors could have only dreamt about, well those ancestors that knew there was another side of the World.

We had some huge storms here on the island recently. The electricity supply to half the island was lost for up to 4 days in some places.

It’s incredible that this amazing energy powers our homes. I mean how on earth someone worked out how to generate power and send it to us to power a computer, or a lamp, an electric toothbrush, a food blender or one of an abundance of ‘things’ that we rely so heavily on and can take for granted until we lose that power.

The water in the taps reaches us without much thought. The systems that take all unwanted water and whatever else away. Marvels of engineering.

I could go on but I am sure you get the point. Taking a moment though to go slightly deeper.

Have you ever thought about how big a number like a trillion is? Well using time as a scale we all understand, if you counted a million seconds, one at a time, it would take you about eleven and a half days (with no breaks, no sleep, just one second at a time).

Counting to a billion in the same format would take just under 32 years! A big difference between a million and a billion right?

(I am going to get to the point of this in a moment).

A trillion is a vast number. Being 1000 times larger than a billion. 32,000 years of counting.

Ok, now my point.

We have fifty to a hundred trillion cells in our bodies; all of them doing their own specialised job. Without our cells, we are nothing. Literally.

We have evolved, faults and all to have a team of cells beautifully engineered together to allow us to think, talk, feel, experience all of what I mentioned above and so, so much more.

Being thankful for life is something all 7 billion of us cannot take lightly. Every function of our being is a miracle. If you are in the position to be able to exercise then please do it as it’ll make trillions of cells very happy.

And happy cells, lead to a happy brain and body which will lead to a happier you.

Just a thought for the day (which is also only made possible by those great cells).

Have a great rest of your day and share your feedback, comments or thoughts in the comment box below – we love hearing from you 🙂

Tom