The Gratitude Attitude

The Gratitude Attitude

My friend, Bill Schiebler, is a man who lives by our philosophy that you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

Even though Bill has Multiple Sclerosis, his attitude of gratitude was very apparent as he shared the following incident with me.

Bill explained that his MS causes him to tire easily and one day he was especially exhausted as he drove up, very slowly, into his driveway. He knew he really needed to rest and wanted to be "left alone." However, at that particular moment, his electrician (who has two gardens on Bill's land) came briskly walking up and eagerly told Bill that he had planted some vegetables for him. Bill said he thanked him and went inside to take a nap. Sleep eluded him and he wasn't getting "much of a rest." He abruptly sat up in bed, realizing he hadn't acknowledged the electrician's kindness with a very grateful spirit. He got up immediately, went outside to his garden, apologized for his lack of gratitude, and "warmly thanked him the way I should have in the first place."

Bill continued with his story: "The electrician knows I have M.S. He also knows how critical it is that I get my rest. When he realized I had interrupted my nap just to show appreciation for his kind gesture, he beamed at my specific token of gratitude. Know what else? I went back inside and took a restful nap. The electrician went back to his gardening and planted more vegetables for me." As Bill put it, "We both won with that encounter."

Bill concludes: "Feeling gratitude but not specifically expressing it is like wrapping a present but not giving it." The message is clear. Genuinely express gratitude for things people do for you and I really will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Originally found here

Picture originally found here

Related Articles

More From Prose

Cruise Control

I am used to traveling pretty far distances for work but one thing I never really used while…
Cruise Control

Louie, Louie!

I loved going to my aunt Lilly’s house when I was kid to play with my cousin Al. I also liked…
Louie, Louie!

Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld

Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld came into my life in the early 1960’s. He was then the senior rabbi at…
Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld

Dorchester

On February 3, 1943 a torpedo struck the S.S. Dorchester. Chaos reigned on board as the boat…
Dorchester

And They Lived Happily...

Author Richard Paul Evans has written many novels that carry the theme “and they lived happily…
And They Lived Happily...
Photo of sheep inspiring reflection on the verse

The Lord is My Shepherd

I remember going on a Shabbat drive with family through the beautiful countryside somewhere in…
The Lord is My Shepherd

The Time I Hated God

That period of time may have lasted about a year or so, but the amount of time isn’t that…
The Time I Hated God
A Danish or Ice Cream?

A Danish or Ice Cream?

Since I was a kid I loved Danish pastries, especially blueberry and prune, and I was always…
A Danish or Ice Cream?

Ctrl + Z

One of my favorite keyboard shortcuts is Ctrl + Z. It instantly deletes the last action you…
Ctrl + Z

The Overcomer

During the time that I spent with the children at the orphanage in Mexicali Mexico I was…
The Overcomer

Dead Branches

I was trimming some roses. I noticed that for some reason many of the branches had died so I…
Dead Branches

False Assurance

It was rainy weather for days but since the rain itself wasn’t very heavy I felt I could stay…
False Assurance

The Power of the Book

A few years ago, in the confusion of transferring multiple pieces of luggage from one plane to…
The Power of the Book

Silly and Sick

When I was a little girl I loved all sorts of pets. I had pet potato-bugs, pet spiders, pet…
Silly and Sick

Hidden Blessings

When my family moved we picked a house surrounded by some trees. The trees along one side of…
Hidden Blessings

Judy Field Carr - Miss Judy

For thirty years, the Jews of Syria knew that in the free world was a mysterious woman, "Miss…
Judy Field Carr - Miss Judy

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.


donation