The Art of Appreciation

At this Thanksgiving season, with all that has happened during the past year, it is important in anything we do not to exaggerate our fears, to fill our minds with faith and confidence, and to learn as much as possible about what we are doing, it is imperative that we PRACTICE THE ART OF APPRECIATION.

My father was a minister known for lacing his sermons with stories (before story telling was either common or acceptable). Born in 1910, he came into full manhood during the dark days of the depression. During that time, he lived in a rural area of Arkansas. I vividly recall one story he used to tell about a group of farmers who were gathered near a hog pen talking about the difficult times they were facing.

Each man recited his litany of woes about prices being down, failing crops and the difficulties of making ends meet. One of the farmers turned to an older man, who hadn’t said much up to this point and asked, “What do you think, Charlie?” Charlie looked out toward the hog pen, took a deep draw on his hand rolled cigarette and replied, “I think our problem is that we’re too much like them hogs. Look at ‘em out there rooting around that tree in the middle of the pen looking for fruit. They just take it for granted that there’s gonna be fruit on the ground and get so busy looking for the fruit that they never look up to appreciate where the fruit comes from.”

Dad’s point was that we needed to do more than “root around looking for the fruit”, we needed to also look up and appreciate the source of the fruit we so often took for granted. Then he’d say, “when we do that, it calms our fears and gives us the courage to keep on because we know that even if we don’t have everything we want, we’ll have what we need to take it one day at a time.”

Practicing the art of appreciation, makes us aware of how circumstances have worked in our lives. If you have found your passion, practicing appreciation provides a sense of destiny because it helps you see how seemingly unrelated experiences have come together at a crucial point—experiences that have enabled you to have the skills and confidence necessary to do the things you are doing.

I recall a remarkable woman who worked for five years as a janitor for a large corporation. During that time, a couple of managers encouraged her to apply for an opening in the mail room. To her amazement, she got the job. Then she moved into customer service and eventually became customer service manager.

When she retired, she said “There’s not a day goes by that I don’t take time to remember and appreciate those days of dumping trash and scrubbing toilets because that job helped position me to take the steps necessary to fulfill my destiny in life.”

In practicing the art of appreciation we also need to take time to appreciate those who have been influential in our lives. I know a man who keeps a notebook filled with the names of such people, complete with a brief biography of the person’s career and notes on how that person has inspired, coached or helped him. Even though he is very busy, he makes time to review this notebook and often writes brief letters of appreciation to them. He says this not only helps him stay connected with them, it also reminds him of where he came from and makes him appreciate what he has achieved to this point in his career.

Finally, practice the art of appreciating the little things around you. As we rush from one meeting to another, hustling to meet a never ending series of deadlines and obligations it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace of life.

Several years ago, I had one of overwhelming days. We were planning to leave for the farm for Thanksgiving. Our plan is to leave on Saturday, spend a couple of days at the farm and then drive to Texas to spend Thanksgiving week with our daughter.

Friday morning, I was scurrying around trying to wrap up loose ends, as well as deal with unanticipated interruptions. At 2 PM, I rushed home to finish packing and begin loading for the journey. I was physically tired and mentally frayed. We live in an older neighborhood where all the garages are detached.

As I dashed from the garage to the back gate my eyes fell on my wife’s flower garden. I stopped, transfixed as I gazed at a thick array of yellow and white flowers (which I learned were baby mums). I had never noticed them before and a sense of wonder and tranquility swept over me. While I stood contemplating these little flowers, blooming so beautifully in late November.

I also became aware of two squirrels playing on the ground and the words of a song made popular several years ago “I thought to myself, what a wonderful world” came to mind. As I appreciated these little things, all the pressures and concerns that go along with what I do merged into a bigger picture and I again realized that over the years circumstances have brought the right experiences and people into my life as I have been guided by what seems to be an unseen hand.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that we should practice the art of appreciation for what we’ve accomplished, for the opportunities that are ahead, and of course, for those closest to us who have loved us in spite of ourselves, encouraged us when we were down, and stood by us when others doubted us. This is the Season of Thanksgiving, can you think of a better week to begin practicing the art of appreciation?
Have A GREAT and Blessed Thanksgiving!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com