Finding gratitude after a busy weekend...

My weekend consisted of a pile of administrative tasks, chores, and numerous phone calls. From emails to tidying up the house to coordinating meetups with people in my life, the weekend seemed to fly by, as it always does.

However, tonight was different. I baked cookies with a friend in my apartment, and as we settled into the couch to discuss our lives, I looked around and felt incredibly grateful for this post-grad season.

As a motivated young professional, I constantly strive to work hard, contribute to my teams, and achieve significant wins in the marketplace. However, I am also beginning to appreciate the beauty in life's simplest things, such as cherishing the company of others within the safety of friendship. As I bid her farewell for the night, poetic thoughts emerged, capturing the essence of mutual service and personal fulfillment.

Was it my sweet tooth of sense of welcome that offered to bake her cookies?

Was it my vanity or a true openness to new connection that said yes to going out with him?

Was it beg a for attention or a playful experiment that posted on social media?

The ways our motivations serve up as cocktails to our consciousness keeps me wondering:

Will purity and goodness ever run the show? Or will there always be an undercurrent of self?

For those moments in time, where something just “clicks,” the combination there seems to be this:

A self-satisfaction that arises, as well as clear evidence that shows another person was helped.

We were made to serve and to give. Have you ever realized that the highest returns come when you live with open hands and become a source to others? It seems to reap rewards along the way.

The lessons we are learning, the chance to try, fail, run, fall down, and get back up again.

Let us live as open books, with colorful sticky notes pointing at our takeaways.

Consider this your reminder:

In the midst of our busy lives and pursuit of success, it's important to find gratitude in the simplest moments of connection and generosity. By embracing the joy of serving others and remaining open to new experiences, we can cultivate an intrinsically rewarding day, week, and year.