There’s honesty in author Richard Carlson’s words:
The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.”
We all experience highs and lows. We love to talk about the highs, but sometimes we keep our lows hidden. My Thanksgiving Day didn’t go off exactly as I planned. Yes, the house was filled with loved ones. Me? I was upstairs in bed, taken down by a wicked virus. My Thanksgiving feast? Orange Jello. An unexpected low, but I made the decision not to post it on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter. What was the point — and besides, I looked awful.
The only thing I would change about the quote is the word trick. Being grateful and graceful isn’t so much of a trick as it is a choice. The choice is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.
As we transition from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season, we will all face opportunities to be both grateful and graceful. And we’ll interact with others who will struggle with being both grateful and graceful. How we act and interact is our choice, moment by moment.
In Others’ Words: I’d love to hear something you love about the upcoming holiday season — or how you choose to be graceful when you’re experiencing a low moment or day.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”DzLcB” via=”yes” ]In Others’ Words: Choosing to be Grateful or Graceful http://ctt.ec/DzLcB+ #InOthersWords #choices #quotes @bethvogt[/ctt] [ctt template=”8″ link=”x8Ye8″ via=”yes” ]”The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.” #quotes #choices #highsandlows @bethvogt[/ctt]
Comments 7
I’m so sorry you were sick during Thanksgiving. That.IS.The.Pits. I really like this quote, especially with the change to choice. It is our choice, one we don’t always make. One thing I like about the holiday season is that everyone is much nicer. 🙂
Author
Pat: Yes, being sick on Thanksgiving was the pits, but still it was nice to know family was in the house and enjoying all the yummy food. I even had a chance to do a brief Skype with my son Josh in Seattle. 🙂 And yes, people are nicer during the holidays. It would be nice to hang on to that attitude all year long.
So sorry about the virus, Beth! Hope you’re on the mend and regaining strength.
My situation sometimes leads me to review my life, and it’s kind of a low point realizing that so much of it’s been a failure and really a waste. There was so much potential left unused, and so many good intentions went awry. I look back and for a large part of it, think “Ugh. Never want to go THERE again.”
I suppose the grace comes with a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders – it can’t be helped now – and continuing to try to do things right.
Author
Andrew: I think looking back at our lives needs to be done through a lens of grace. Of course now we know all the things we could have done differently, said differently. Hindsight is always 20-20. Moving forward with that wisdom and, yes, with grace, is the one thing we have control over.
Exactly, Beth. ‘Now’ is what we have, and it’s a choice of what to do with the moment at hand.
Awww, Beth. SO sorry you were sick over Thanksgiving. 🙁 I hope you’re on the mend now.
The holiday season usually feels more stressful than gratefulness-inducing. As I grow older, I’m learning to find those moments to be grateful for. I’m learning that I don’t have to do everything, much less perfectly. Saying no is hard, but sometimes necessary if I want to have a gracious disposition toward others. As we prepare to spend time with family over Christmas, I’m praying that God will prepare and shore up my heart for those moments that will have the potential to steal joy, if that makes sense. Prayer is a huge factor for me in being able to be gracious.
Great post, my friend. And, I completely agree with your word substitution. Choice is much more apt. 🙂
Author
Jeanne:
The one thing I’ve decided about Christmas is less is truly more. I’m paring back on my decorations because putting up fewer items means less of a hassle after the holidays are over. I still enjoy how my home looks, but I’ve selected just what I want to go up around the house — and gotten rid of the rest. It’s de-stressed the month for me, and helped me be more gracious.