My husband has a pair of polarized sunglasses that were an absolute must-buy. (He’s an avid fly fisherman, so every bit of gear associated with his hobby is a must-buy.) He happened to have them on at the beach, and his fear of sand particles scratching the lenses was too much for me to leave alone. I was giving him a hard time when he interrupted my banter and suggested I try them on. And, oh my gosh. The already pristine water of Lake Michigan was somehow even more beautiful through those sunglasses. I could see the actual depth of the water, and it stunned me; I noticed shades of blue I never even knew existed. Looking through those lenses made me feel like I was seeing the world in high definition for the first time in my life.
In addition to being an outdoorsman (with a lot of sweet gear), my husband, Shawn, is an eternal optimist. Born with the ability to see the good, ignore the bad, and whistle a joyful tune while the house is burning down, he’s the ying to my yang. My default setting — which I work hard to combat with prayer, scripture, journaling, exercise, self-help books, etc, etc — is skeptical at best and cynical at worst. Sometimes I think Shawn sees life through a whole different set of lenses than I do.
For fifteen years I’ve admired my husband’s sunny outlook on life. And I think I have pinpointed what is at the core of his disposition: gratitude. He regularly states what he’s thankful for, and somehow, his list grows longer even as life gets more complicated. He focuses his mind on gratitude, and his heart is all the better for it.
Now, it’s the beginning of November, and in a neat twist of fate many of us have spent the last week-or-so doing the following: surviving Halloween, leading dozens of parent-teacher conferences, arising at 5am with our small children as Daylight Saving Time came to an end, and banging our heads against the wall because the last of that back-to-school patience has run dry. It’s safe to say we could all benefit from my husband’s brand of positivity. I know I could. So, I am going to start by tapping into his source — putting on the lens of gratitude. I want to see life in high definition whether or not I’m at the beach with polarized sunglasses on my face. And I want to be grateful even when the skies grow darker and my to-do list gets longer.
I am abundantly thankful for my terrific partner-in -life, adoring children, and a multitude of other things. But today, I want to use this post to declare my gratitude for a set of people who have tucked themselves into my heart for the rest of time: my GVSU students in EDR 321. They’re full-time students and part-time teachers who are stretched way-too-thin. All are uncertain of what lies ahead, yet their collective joy and passion for teaching has become fuel to my soul. There is nothing quite like listening to the ideas and beliefs of good, honest humans who can’t wait to change the world. Thank you, guys, for all you’ve taught me.
I have another post related to gratitude coming up next week. But, for now, I’ll close with the philosophical words listed on a beverage coaster someone gifted Shawn, “we can’t all puke unicorns and rainbows, but darn it, we can try.”