Ridiculous Gratitude
A few years before I saw the bumper sticker, I started practicing something I call ridiculous gratitude. At first, I didn’t have a name for what I was doing. I was just noticing weird things to appreciate. Usually on long walks. Eventually, I realized my gratitude fell into three patterns:
- Ridiculous Stretch: I began stretching my mind to find gratitude in situations or things that didn’t seem to call for it. When my water bill was five times normal, I appreciated the workers fixing things I didn’t even know existed.
- Ridiculously Small: I was spotting and appreciating tiny things or experiences I was ignoring before. Toilet paper, doorknobs, the fact that gravity keeps coffee in my cup. These helpers are usually invisible until they break.
- Ridiculously Proactive: I started seeing reasons to be grateful. I wasn’t waiting for good circumstances. I was noticing what’s working instead of hoping gratitude showed up.
I didn’t know it then, but this practice was preparing me for what I’d later call my “season of chaosity.” That story waits in Chapter 5. First, the practice.
By practicing gratitude during ordinary moments, your brain learns to find solid ground during hard times. Like muscle memory for athletes — you practice thousands of times, so you default to automatic gratitude under pressure before you even realize it.
By the end of the next chapter, you’ll be ready to start your new gratitude habit today.