A Year of Gratitude – August 29, 2024

My gratitude was easy to find today. It was found with a teacup in hand and good company.

I don’t often make the time to stop for a bit and enjoy an afternoon cup of tea with someone. I’m always rushing about, trying to work my way down the list of things I wanted to accomplish before the day is out.

But today, I made the time. I guess that I gifted it to myself in a way that I don’t usually do. For the time it took to linger over tea, I didn’t think about anything else. I gave it my full attention.

I know that life doesn’t always allow us to do that, to block out the rest of the world and just immerse ourselves in a moment. Yet I can try harder to be present in the small moments, to put down my phone, put the world on pause just briefly.

Most of my cares will wait a few moments without me. They aren’t emergencies unless I make them so. They’re tasks that I can get back to when the teapot is empty. They’re things I will do when I’m not in the company of someone that I want to give my full and complete attention to.

It’s a gift I can give myself and the person I am spending time with. It doesn’t cost a penny yet the value of that time and attention is priceless.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.