Gratitude Doesn’t Require Context

I recently experienced the show Come From Away in London. It’s the story of 9/11 told from the perspective of the thirty-eight planes that were diverted that day to an airport in Gander, Newfoundland. Overnight the town of 9,000 people received almost 7,000 visitors from nearly 100 countries (the airline crews and passengers) who needed places to sleep, food, clothing and emotional support. It’s a fantastic story about humanity and compassion.

When the planes were finally able to fly again, they returned on their journeys. In Come From Away there’s a scene where the pilot of one of the planes lets the passengers know that they had just crossed over the Canadian border and that they were now back in the United States airspace. The passengers celebrated that moment – being back in the United States – and it made me wonder … are they all grateful to be in the United States today?

For some reason this all made me think about gratitude and context. I often hear people say things like, “I’m grateful for what I have because others have so little,” or “I’m grateful for today despite challenges because things could be worse.” I realized that many of us view gratitude based upon context and comparison, but I say that gratitude doesn’t require context.

Gratitude is simply that – being grateful for whatever you have in your life, without comparison or context. If gratitude requires context, then is it really gratitude? I encourage you all to find things (many things) to be grateful for every day and without context or comparison. Just be grateful … because true gratitude doesn’t require context.