We had been playing at our church’s playground, Eli and I. Each moment I have with my grandson is a gift for which I am thankful, even though my gratitude is often concealed by my grunts and groans as I try keeping up with that little guy.
After I’ve chased him up and down the “ship,” on the church playground, he wants to race me to the end of the parking lot. I almost used my cowboy boots as a reason to beg off, but I couldn’t resist his invitation: “Come on, PopPop, betcha I beat you.” Half-way into the run, I negotiated for a pit stop at St. Augustine Catholic Church, where we peeked inside and tried being quiet for a few moments. It’s not easy for a seven-going-on-eight-year-old kid to practice meditation.
So, we’re out the front door, and after looking both ways, we race across the street, running all the way to the Catholic Church’s playground, where we swing, climb up and go down the slide several times together, and climb the jungle jim— which I mainly watch him clamber up.
Then, I’m game for another, longer race, this one across the parking lot, then down the street, and all the way back to Lebanon Baptist Church, where we had first started.
“Eli, you’re just about too much for PopPop, but I’m sure thankful I can still stay with you, step for step, stride for stride, and if you hadn’t tricked me and gotten that head start on me, I just might have beaten you,” I tease him.
Being grateful for each moment is one of my Lenten practices. Some days have been “wins,” and others, I’ve not done as well. But today, I’m being intentionally intentional about being thankful in each moment.
Standing there with Eli, breathing in the fresh air, soaking up the sun, which we hadn’t had much of in several days, I thought I could feel a stream of endorphins surging through my body, generating an overall sense of well-being, from head to toe.
I’ve read where cultivating an attitude of gratitude actually promotes that feeling of positivity and overall happiness, even though circumstances may not be perfect. Finding something to be grateful for in less than ideal circumstances seems to lend itself to that sense of gratitude in the next moment. In other words, being grateful can become habit forming.
In fact, studies have shown that brain scans of people expressing gratitude in the midst of performing particular tasks showed lasting change in the prefrontal cortex that seems to heighten sensitivity to future expressions of gratitude. Being grateful actually pays itself forward, as it begins to color how we perceive our circumstances.
Perhaps it confirms the truth Cheryl Crowe sang about: “It’s not having what you want/it’s wanting what you have.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re satisfied sitting in squalor, or that we tolerate misbehavior in ourselves or others. According to a study reported by Harvard Medical School, individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but were also more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
But for me, PopPop, I don’t have any concerns about my relationship with my grandson, at least not at the present moment, but only gratitude that I’m not the only one out of breath and ready for a break.
“How about let’s meet up with Gigi and Emmie for ice cream?” I ask Eli.
Catching his breath, he nods “yes.”
And two grateful souls pile in the car and happily head to the ice cream shop for refreshment.