As the holidays are approaching, the thought of being grateful doesn't escape me. I've noticed how so many people today treat gratefulness as an abstract concept one may, at some point in time undefined, magically practice. This isn't exactly the case. Gratefulness is an attitude you exercise in life, an attitude you may inherit as a child from primarily your caretakers. You observe the characteristic as a child in those you spend most of your free time with and then you begin to mimic their behavior. Childhood can be a challenging experience for many. I know it certainly was for me. However, somehow, in the midst of a life cornered by corruption and injustice, my grandmother and mother managed to instill in me a sense of appreciation and gratefulness that has survived to this day. Whatever you tell your child today, realize that it may have an impact that will last a lifetime. If you want your kids to respect, appreciate, and admire you, instill worthy values in their blueprint for life. This way you will contribute to their life-long journey, in a memorable way worth the remembrance once you are no more. They will respect you more and love you more, if you can show them why gratefulness is important. Here is a short story I wrote today as I try to illustrate what it means to be grateful. Fluffy, one of my bears, has quite the attitude I tell ya but he likes to learn. Well, for one, he loves being rewarded with chestnuts.
Chestnuts Time
a story written by
Carmen A. Cisnadean
Fluffy is one of my teddy-bears. Today, he had to learn about gratefulness. The little bear doesn't yet realize that without a grateful heart all the goodness and wonder he gets to experience in life today he will take for granted down the road. Before he will even realize it, he could begin to live without a deep appreciation for all the good in his life. A life without appreciation will turn into a dull life full of dissatisfaction and even distress. But all this can be avoided since an attitude adjustment is possible, even and especially around the holiday of Thanksgiving. It all starts with the little things in life. Yes, the little things. Things as small as chestnuts, for instance.
Fluffy gets carried away sometimes, feeling entitled. Without having worked a single hour of his day for chestnuts, he somehow seems way too enthusiastic about enjoying them. Fluffy must learn that the great things in life must be earned before they can be appreciated and enjoyed. This way he will never take the good in life or life itself for granted. Not to mention, he will not take me as his caretaker for granted. Instead, he will get to learn to take pride in being accountable and earning his chestnuts-treat. This way, he might even earn inviting other teddy bear friends to share the holiday treats with. But, it must be earned. For his teddy-mommy has to work very hard for the chestnuts he is about to enjoy. If he takes it all for granted, he will never know how blessed he actually is.
Teddy bears don't always know what is best. They perceive something at first sight as uninviting, especially if it's something which requires a great deal of effort. If you show them the way, however, they can learn to appreciate the end result. By learning to appreciate the end result, Fluffy learned that the labor that led up to the great result was so worth it. He is blessed to be my bear, but he must learn that a life well lived involves appreciation. This way, when I am gone and no longer here he will still love life and all that is good in it fully and he will remember that a life worth living is one which requires both effort and appreciation.
Thank you for reading my short story which I hope you enjoyed.