Leavening Your Day with Gratitude

“Gratitude is like yeast in bread dough. A small amount of yeast will grow and multiply to take over a whole batch of dough. A small amount of gratitude will grow, multiply, and take over the day.”

The speaker was a lady sharing at our AA meeting. The topic of the meeting was gratitude. The early comments were the usual AA gratitude shares like gratitude replaces negative emotions, gratitude is part of acceptance, and, of course, the oft-repeated aphorism, we must have an attitude of gratitude.

Then, this lady made a different point.

She began sharing, “On my way home, I was standing in line at the coffee shop, and the customer ahead of me ordered three complicated cappuccinos and two flavoured lattes. It was going to take all of the baristas to make the order. What a selfish guy.

“Finally, I got my coffee and walked to my car. While I was getting coffee, someone parked too close, and I had to squeeze into the driver’s seat, almost spilling my coffee. What an inconsiderate fool to park so close.

“I stopped to pick up my dry-cleaning. Five people were ahead of me, and they all wanted to catch up on the dry cleaner’s gossip. Tapping my foot did not move them forward.

“I got home, and the garage door remote would not work. I had to go through the front door, which I struggled to open with my dry-cleaning, briefcase, keys, and coffee. Juggling keys and everything at the front door, my irritation level was off the charts.

“As I walked in the door, I wanted to banish guys with complicated coffee orders, shoot close parkers, make gossiping dry-cleaner lines illegal, and burn my house down, starting with the garage door opener.

“I walked in and angrily kicked the door shut.

“On the table in the front hall was a vase of flowers. My husband had purchased them for no reason. A feeling of gratitude came over me.

“Well, that changed everything. Suddenly, I was grateful for everything. It started with the remote for the garage door. If the garage door opener had worked, I would not have come in the front door and seen the flowers.

“Over the next few minutes, as I hung my coat up and unpacked my briefcase, I forgave the guy at the coffee shop with the complicated order. I wished the close parker a good day. And I decided that other people could pick up their laundry and gossip.

“Gratitude grew and multiplied like yeast, affecting everything in my day. It was like a bit of yeast in bread dough. It spread, infecting everything.”