The American Thanksgiving celebration had a big impact on me this year. Perhaps it's because I have a lot of American family members or because I read a lot of articles from American writers, either way, the idea of gratitude has been particularly prominent to me over the past few days.
During Thanksgiving, Americans take time out of their bustling lives to spend time with family and celebrate what they're grateful for. It's sort of like a mini-Christmas! In many American households, Thanksgiving is a time to pontificate upon the meaning of gratitude and show gratitude and appreciation to those around them.
As a Tutor, gratitude is such an important part of my life! I didn't realise it until a few days ago when I was listening to someone talk about the art of saying thank you.
As a Tutor, I spend hours and hours planning lessons, marking homework, liaising with parents and doing so much work that goes unrecognised and sadly, there are a lot of people who never thank me for what I do. It's quite sad when I think about it. It seems that many of us are just too busy to say thank you to those around us. I know I've done it too and I see people everyday who just don't bother to show or feel appreciative for what they have.
I spoke to a parent recently, I've worked with her daughter for over a year but unfortunately we don't be having lessons any more. The parent didn't once thank me for the hard-work and dedication that I'd put into teaching her daughter. Whilst it did upset me slightly, it brought gratitude forward in my list of personal priorities.
In fact, this week I'm writing a list of things that I'm grateful for. I'm also planning on creating a thank you journal where I collect all of my gratuitous memories and write down all of the things that I'm grateful for.
Here are 5 of the things that I appreciate:
1. My friends and family who motivate me to be a trailblazer. 2. My clients! I love them! Seeing parents who've sacrificed so much for their children is so unbelievably inspiring. I'll NEVER forget the memories that I have of many of my students and their families. I've met so many people during this wonderful journey and am so grateful for the lessons I've learnt and the people I've met. 3. My career. I love teaching and I think that teaching will always be a part of my life in some shape or form. 4. My life. It's so easy to forget that being alive is a blessing! Some people didn't get the chance to wake up this morning but I did, I'm grateful for that.5. My wisdom. Of course I'm not perfect but I love learning new things and have learnt so much over the past few years.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to the dozens of parents, teachers and students that I've worked with over the years.
I've met such incrediblepeople and despite the ups and downs, I have been blessed to have worked with so many incredible families. I'm grateful to those who have shown such gratitude for what I do, the cards, the chocolates that you send always put a smile on my face and motivate me to give to others endlessly. Being a tutor isn't just about teaching, it's about serving and making a difference to the lives of people.
What are you grateful for? Leave a comment below with a list of at least 5 things you're grateful for!
Wishing you a great Thanksgiving weekend.
The Tutoress.