Only humans have the capacity for gratitude.

It is one of our gifts.

Happy New Year! Here we are, a moment of pause in the cycles of life. Take a deep breath. Settle in for a sec.

Thanks for being here. I’m grateful you clicked and opened, and I’m grateful to take a moment myself to ponder this truth: Only humans have the capacity for gratitude. It is one of our gifts.

This notion - this concept - feels really important.

It comes from a chapter called Allegiance to Gratitude in the revolutionary book, “Braiding Sweetgrass,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Reading that book for the first time influenced me in big and small ways. I read it again, and then read some essays again and again. In 2018, I made the image above, which went out as my family’s New Year’s card. I had the nerve to send RWK the original painting and, when she came to give a talk at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2019, she thanked me for it. Thanked me!! I truly believe she is one of the most important thinkers and writers at this particular juncture of human history, so that was a gift and a blessing!!

Only humans have the capacity for gratitude. It is one of our gifts.

Robin Wall Kimmerer reminds us to use our gifts. She scolds a little, but gently, pointing out that this world is stunningly gorgeous and food is remarkably delicious, though we’ve been forgetting to say thank you. Our capacity to speak about delight, to give thanks for the bounty, and to celebrate all the good little things makes us special among creatures. As humans, it is our responsibility to use our minds, voices, and spirits to express gratitude.

One small thing that I do is I make a list. Every Sunday night, typically, or if I fall asleep without realizing what night it is, which does happen, then it gets written on Monday. But I don’t skip it.

The Sunday night gratitudes practice started when my first daughter was born, in 2010, when I wasn’t getting much sleep. I was struggling a bit as a new mom and taking stock of the good stuff helped. It still helps.

I use special books for these special lists. I think it was possibly the artist Mary Jo Hoffman (of STILL blog) who influenced me to take the journals themselves seriously. My observant children noticed what I was up to and started participating by decorating the cover of a blank journal and giving it to me for my birthday. I am insanely grateful for what they’ve added to the ritual. Conveniently my birthday is December 30th, so a new journal kicks off every new year.

A friend recently commented, “Wow, I didn’t know this about you.” Indeed, it has felt very private. But here I am on the World Wide Web, thinking there may be a reason to share.

Over a decade of writing down my gratitudes has made me notice and name things that would have otherwise slid into the junk drawer of my mind and memory. It has made me see my life, and the world, differently. And then this past year, thanks to the librarians and their To Good To Miss shelf, I stumbled on “The Book of Delights” by Ross Gay. That gorgeous and radical collection of essayettes points to the value of sharing, of going into some detail, and of inviting the opportunity for collective celebration of the humble, regular, imperfect lives we are living. The joy of pulling carrots and the delight, sometimes, in not completing a task. Those are just a few of his delights. I highly recommend you read his books.

Maybe learning the things that other people delight in reminds us, again and again, that the world is stunningly gorgeous. Food is remarkably delicious. People are ridiculously kind, silly, and creative. To be delighted is to be grateful. And to be grateful is a gift.

So I’m going to use Wanderlife as a space to share a little. I’ll give the Sunday night scrawls another look and a little more thought. Putting them into the world ‘to be seen’ is maybe akin to why some folks show up at church. Prayers are amplified in community. Individual intentions can inspire larger movements of ideas, I believe. I hope.

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* The bowls in the painting above are inspired by Sue Bender’s book “Everyday Sacred,” which my mom gave me in my 20s (thanks mom!) and I rediscovered in my 40s. Then I started drawing bowls on everything. My kids wondered if I’d lost my imagination and creativity. More bowls, mom?

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Do you think about gratitude?

Thanks for your comments and inspiration.