A Teaspoon of Gratitude

“When you arise in the morning think what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to think, to breathe, to enjoy, to love.”

Marcus Aurelius.

Find a teaspoon. Go on, I’m sure you’ve one handy.

(Or, if you’re at work, a pen.)

Add a plate and a knife…

We use these every day, yet rarely look at them.

Look at them…

These are all IKEA, inexpensive. Yet you’d be surprised at the heft of the spoon.

It’s a substantial piece of kit…

These everydays are useful and beautiful, as the poet once said.

Really look at yours, run your fingers over them.

Now…

Pick up the spoon. Appreciate its function.

Effortless, isn’t it?

The knife puts spreadable butter on the pre-sliced toast, the spoon sorts a dollop of blackcurrant from a hand-sized jar.

Do you have a toaster?

Amazing, simply amazing…

Now, sit on that ergonomically perfect chair, put a light on and think on this…

How long would it take you to make a stainless steel teaspoon?

A while, eh?

Yet you have six! Or twelve!

Envision being alone on an island with no cutlery but plenty food, and all the raw materials to make what you need.

How long to make a spoon?

What about the knife, the plate, the Dualit?

For such a long time humans, over their short lives, never had a plate or spoon; or those who did shared their chunky wooden ones.

So…

Just how long could that gratitude list be, if you really thought about it?

Think about it…

Those of you with a pen and paper might start now, if you started with a spoon write three simple things.

What are you grateful for?

Enjoy today, you ain’t getting it back.