Gratitude is integral to resiliency

The Arctic Thunder Open House is now in the rearview mirror. What a neat experience to see all the aircraft and other displays and to watch the aerobatics. It’s the largest community event in Alaska and attracts more people than the State Fair. The planners and organizers deserve a big round of applause for this must-see event. Now, we wait in anticipation for the next airshow in 2020.

There are a wealth of things that people experience at the biennial airshow. The awe of the fast movers, fun activities for the kids, great food, and the opportunities to connect with friends as well as to meet new people are all part of the airshow experience (along with a sunburn).

Experiences like this stir up a feeling of gratitude within me, for those who worked hard and long to create a special experience for our community.

Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful to somebody for doing something. Gratitude takes on three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words, and giving in return. Hopefully, as we grow and mature we take on an attitude of gratitude.

An attitude of gratitude is being thankful for the good things both large and small that come our way. For the spiritually oriented person, thanksgiving should be part of our very nature. In fact, I hope we are moving from thanksgiving to practicing thanks-living.

It’s also an important part of resiliency. Demonstrating gratitude and appreciation for others or the acts of kindness done by others strengthens our sense of connectedness to others. Those stronger connections enable us to become more resilient.

Events like the airshow are an opportunity to meet our larger community and perhaps to form relationships and connections that might otherwise never happen – it’s an opportunity that goes beyond the connections you have through your electronic devices. Maybe a grateful heart creates the courage to meet people and to get acquainted in a face-to-face encounter. Just think how cool it might be for some people to be known face to face and not device to device.

It doesn’t take anything to text someone but it takes personal courage to actually meet another person. You must go out of your “comfort zone” and present yourself to others. Be the person who brings gratitude to others; be a blessing to someone who might not know you. Be the one to extend a welcome.

Like Bo Jackson said, “Just do it!”

It is true, you just have to get out there and do it. To meet and welcome others you don’t need a reason. You will be grateful you made the move and people will have a wealth of experiences that can be shared over and over again. Have no fear; it’s just networking, not the zombie apocalypse, and the other person is just as concerned about the situation. The people you meet may be interested in your brains — but they won’t bite. Let’s start with the basics. You’re at an event and you really want to meet some new people. What do you do?

It is really simple; start by saying “Hello….” Walk up to someone, smile, and introduce yourself. Remember to make eye contact and keep smiling (not like a psycho). Your body language should convey you are confident and enjoying yourself. This works for me and I trust it will be useful to you.

In conclusion, let’s show our gratitude for the volunteers, supporting agencies, and staff that put the airshow together. Let’s live with an attitude of gratitude that connects us to others and opens doors for new connections. Melanie Beattie wrote: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow.”

A grateful attitude doesn’t happen by accident. Giving thanks in Beattie’s line of thinking is in the present imperative which means it is to be a habit of attitude and action.

God knows how this will benefit us and others and calls us to be

disciplined to make it part of our daily routine!