The Gratitoad

For legal purposes, I will state the Gratitoad is from Big Mouth the TV show. I like it, and If you are into real-life problems that are overly dramatic to be funny you should watch it.

I choose the gratitoad as my title because It puts a funny twist to a real-life solution. Even in the show, he explains why we need him. I don’t like toads but I like that one.

He is a wonderful example of how to express gratitude in your life.

But onto the topic. I’m going to start at the beginning of my journey with gratitude. I was having a terrible time being a supervisor at Walmart. I got bullied on a daily. Cried in my car a lot, but I kept going.

I finally said I'm done with being so down and negative. I also really wanted a promotion. So I worked hard. The thing that helped me through it was gratitude. And affirmations but we will leave that for another time.

Whenever I had a negative feeling or thought I thought of 3 things I was grateful for. Now 3 things are easy but if you can only think of one thing then use that one. The more you get into the routine the more you'll recognize the things you're grateful for.

I used the same 3 things for that period because it was easiest. These technics are not here to make your life harder so whatever is easiest for you do it. There’s no wrong way of expressing gratitude.

Mine were My family, a job that paid my bills, and my cat. Sometimes Some days I would be able to think of different things. Like my car for getting me to work, and being so reliable. Or my friends for taking me out, and us having a good time.

In one of my classes, I got reminded of gratitude because I fell off it for a while. When I stopped thinking I needed it I no longer did it. Which was not a good thing. You’ll always need gratitude.

It helps you through the worst of times. You had a hard breakup? Remind yourself you are grateful for the chance to have met that person. To have grown, and now have a better idea of who you want in your life.

I realized at that moment that with my first ex, I used gratitude to get over them, and it was our last for sure breakup. Instead of hoping he’d come back. Instead of feeling sorry for myself. Or using hurtful words towards myself.

One of the things I said was “I”m grateful for the time I had with this person. I had some fun times and learned a lot. I’m grateful to have experienced the feeling I had for them. I’m grateful to now have a chance with something new.”

Kind of like the thank you next song by Arianna Granda.

But Gratitude doesn’t have to be that huge which is what I was trying to say earlier. When Gratitude came back into my life I remember all the tiny stuff we forget about. They become so common in our daily life.

Some gratitude examples would be Like this laptop that I’m typing on at this very moment. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to do the things that bring me joy like writing this blog. Or playing Sims.

Or how about books?

I know we have Google to look things up, but the sensation of having a book is different. Being able to pull the book out to learn or to get lost in a new world is an adventure. You book lovers know what I’m talking about. The feeling of a book in your hand has a different type of fulfillment.

How about those boots? Are you not grateful that they keep your feet protected from the weather outside?

How about the feeling of being with people you love, and spending time with them? Cause we never know how much time we have.

We take things for granted on a daily because we have become so desensitized to them. That we forget how lucky we are. Even if we have nothing there’s still something to be grateful for.

Even if we are so far down on our luck there is always something to be grateful for. When we were in class one of my examples was a pencil. Grateful I had a pencil to write this out with. I was grateful for the grass I was sitting on. Grateful for the view I had.

I know some might say it's not that easy, but it is. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. You just have to be grateful for it.

Going back to the Walmart job that I thought I wanted. I am grateful I didn’t get it. Because If I did I wouldn’t have met my best friend that I want to marry one day. He wouldn’t have been here to help me on the journey that I’ve been on for the past few years.

I would have never known what it felt like to have someone try with me and show me I deserved love. I wouldn’t have grown from where I was and kept on growing.

Sometimes terrible Things happen to either open a new door or get your attention. We are in control of our lives. If you can’t find anything to be grateful for then you need to change something in your life.

If you’ve done that, and still can’t find things to be grateful for then you have to change your mind. There are plenty of things to be grateful for you have to pay attention and look deeper.

I’ll explain a few ways to practice gratitude in your life.

There’s always journaling. Having a gratitude journal. Write whatever you are grateful for at the moment or whenever something pops up. This makes it easier on the days you might not be able to come up with one. You can look back at your gratitude journal, pick a few, or read through your list.

Then there are gratitude meditations. I don’t know many, but a thing to be grateful for is Google and youtube. You can look up gratitude meditations, and a whole bunch comes up. From there you can find one that works best for you.

If you love crystals there are some Gratitude crystals/ stones. There are types of crystals that help bring the vibration of gratitude. Some stones have words of gratitude engraved on them. 

You could also use gratitude words of affirmation. “I am grateful for all that I have in my life.” “I am grateful for a new day.” “I’m grateful for my body for carrying me each day.” “I’m grateful for the steps I take each day, small or large, to get me where I want/need to go.”

I’m grateful for having to be able to write this, and I am grateful to whoever reads it. I hope it brings clarity and happiness. I believe in you and wish you all the love.