On gratitude …

As I started to type this month’s blog post, I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye. “Of course,” I quietly whispered, while the right side of my mouth turned up. Of course I would be visited by a ladybug, just a foot away from me and my laptop. This symbolism of good luck, wishes and dreams coming to fruition, worries beginning to dissipate and happiness coming about found me in my office at just the right time. And I welcomed it.

Historically, each year at half full, llc, we look forward to November as a month-long expression of gratitude. Gratitude for our team for how hard they work, our clients for choosing to work with us to help them move forward through creative strategies, our partners for wanting to collaborate with us, our families for their love and support… and while this month is no different, it is with a much greater depth of thanksgiving that I write.

There is no doubt that 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us.

Every single human being has experienced his or her own story because of COVID-19. It is remarkable in fact. Think about it. The entire world has been affected. From a newborn baby to a 99-year-old grandmother. It is one thing we all have in common. Whether we have lost loved ones, been on the front lines, or lost jobs, we all have our very own personal relationship with this pandemic.

Many of us have struggled with what to do given our nation’s heightened awareness of racism and inequity. We have argued together. We have cried together. We have protested together. We have chosen to be vocal and we have chosen to remain silent. We have chosen to educate ourselves and we have chosen to leave the education to others. We have made assumptions. We have judged. We have been extremely uncomfortable.

And in the aftermath of our election, many of us were saddened to see the data prove that our country is in fact divided. So much divide. So much work to do.

As I watched this beautiful tiny creature run up the window pain, my head was flooded with thoughts of hope. “Hope” is what we all need right now. Hope is to be celebrated. And the good news is … hope is not just a feeling, it can be practiced.

In a time in our history when asking people to hope sometimes seems like an impossible request, I write to you to think about trying … by beginning with gratitude. Your story, your beliefs and your experiences are your own - and no one can ever take that from you. I encourage you to start your journey of hope by looking within. Find three things in your own life to be grateful for – things that only you have experienced. 20 days of sobriety. A negative cancer screening. Finally having that difficult conversation with a loved one. Things only you can own. Feel it. Be grateful. Celebrate. Hope.

I’ll start us off!

1. I am grateful for my family for helping us paint a room in our home – it has made such a huge difference as we have been spending so much time at home.

2. I am grateful for my reflection of my Mom and Dad this month as we are reminded of the anniversary of my Mom’s passing. So grateful to be their daughter.

3. I am grateful to the whole team at half full, llc (staff and interns) for being flexible, caring and patient over the last several months – you are amazing.

4. I am grateful to the RI CCRI Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses crew for nominating half full, llc for a Small Business Administration award.

5. I am grateful to the Small Business Administration for awarding half full, llc the 2020 Micro Enterprise of the Year in the state of Rhode Island and the entire North East.

6. I am grateful to have been a member of the Pi II Leadership Rhode Island Class this year and getting to know so many amazing leaders in the state of Rhode Island, especially Tom, our class speaker pictured here, after he surprised me by naming me as someone who helped him remain “half full” through some very challenging months.

Okay, so I mentioned more than three, but I can’t help myself! I am super grateful!

Now, I encourage you to find three things to be grateful for outside of your comfort zone. I know this will not be easy, but just try. Think of that person who makes your blood boil or the situation you have no control over. Now try to turn your feelings to that of gratitude. The person who makes your blood boil is giving you an opportunity to learn a different perspective. The situation you have no control over has allowed you to think about things differently. Feel it. Be grateful. Celebrate. Hope.

I’m here with you.

1. I am grateful for the moments I cried this year, as I struggled to find the words about how I feel about privilege and racism – I was and continue to be uncomfortable, which to me is a gift, and something I need in order to move forward in my life and my work.

2. I am grateful for the conversation I had with a younger black man who applauded our President for causing strife in our country – his insight allowed me to better understand a perspective I had never heard.

3. And while I am heartbroken with what COVID-19 brought to our world this year, I am grateful for the reflection it forced about the business – it has made us think differently about our work, and it has challenged us to be reflect on our why.

At this point in my writing, my coworker ladybug has nestled somewhere out of sight and I start to become distracted with the voices of neighbors coming through my open window. Two couples from opposite sides of the street spot each other while coming out to do yardwork. They raise their arms, yell congratulatory words to one another and start to move in closer to one another to discuss the outcome of the election. Their voices get louder and the laughter increases with each new discussion point. As other neighbors walk by, they raise their arms and shout out congratulatory remarks again. The circle of neighbors, which has now spilled out into the street, becomes larger and larger, and louder and louder.

As I listen with one ear to this gaggle of optimistic neighbors and use the other to hear the words I am typing in my head, I cannot help but continue the smile introduced to me at the start of my writing. There is a common bond between this group of people. It is a bond they formed right outside my window, right in front of me. This was not a bond that was formed out of despair, or challenge. It was a bond they formed out of their collective feeling of hope.

Have you thought about those three personal things to be grateful for? And did you manage to find anything to be grateful for in those more challenging areas in your life? Do you find it possible or impossible to find things to be grateful for in challenging times? It is not an easy thing to do. But if we all give it a try, we may find ourselves proactively looking for opportunities to be grateful. Imagine waking up in the morning and your first thought is to think about what to be grateful for – and throughout the day, you are consumed with gratitude. Gratitude for having a roof over your head. Gratitude for the teacher who said hello to you when you walked by your son’s computer. Gratitude for the food that you have in your refrigerator and the coffee in your mug. We have much to be grateful for, and I am confident that the more we look for and express gratitude, the more hope we will all feel.

I choose to be grateful. For you. And I choose to be hopeful. For us. Will you join me?