IAAP – Municipal Employees Chapter

When was the last time you stopped to admire the sunrise? How about the sunset? Did you look at all the different colors? Did you admire how the colors washed through the clouds? Did you notice the shapes of the clouds or how the buildings or trees looked against the horizon? Too often in today’s world we forget to stop and take time to admire the sunrise or the sunset. We forget to be thankful for what we have; instead we gripe and complain about what we don’t have.

 You may wonder – how do I do this? How do I be thankful instead of complaining? One example is the rain. We have been very blessed, especially the last few months, with rain. How many of you have complained about it raining or wished it would stop? How many of you were praying for rain last year and at the beginning of this year? Yet when we got it, did you start complaining about it instead of being thankful that we were getting enough to fill the lakes back up?

 This same philosophy can be applied to any situation – instead of complaining, look for something to be thankful for. It may mean taking a totally opposite view of how you normally look at something – stepping outside your comfort zone and looking at things totally different. This can be very hard to do and it takes lots of practice but it can be done. When you start to complain or think/speak negatively, stop yourself. Instead think about what you can be thankful for about the situation or person.

 With the holiday season fast approaching and the biggest shopping day of the year drawing closer (the Black Friday ads have started appearing), it is important to remember to take the time to be thankful and appreciative of what we have instead of being resentful of what we don’t. There is enough stress in all of our lives without us creating more. So next time you are up early enough, take time to watch the sunrise, admire the colors and how the reflect in the clouds. Look at the horizon and see how the trees and/or buildings look against it. Or, when you are out and about coming home from work or running errands, take the time to admire the sunset and be thankful for the opportunity to watch the sunset, for the completion of another day, for being able to run errands or to have a job to come home from.