If I forget to say thank you
I know that isn’t right
But it isn’t out of malice
It isn’t out of spite
If I don’t stop to say I love you
It’s not that I don’t care
I just feel scattered
In a million pieces everywhere
If I never say I’m sorry
I still feel it deep inside
It just got tangled up with feelings
I would rather hide
If I haven’t said
Thank you
I’m sorry
I love you
It’s just that I forget
And if you didn’t know
That would be my biggest regret
Note: This one is a rough-edged quickie that I did in about five minutes. Yesterday was Thanksgiving – we weren’t able to celebrate on the day because my daughter was having surgery. We are planning to do something this weekend – but it had me thinking about my state of mind. How I feel so caught up in the exhaustion and complaining. How I can find it so hard to locate my sense of gratitude against what can feel like the daily grind of life.
So as a little offering to Thanksgiving, I thought it might be nice to write a little ode to all the times I fail in this regard. I’m not entirely sure who I was writing this poem to, but going down on the page, it felt both personal and broad. Just because we fail to notice the little miracles of life doesn’t mean they aren’t there – the positive feelings are often still there underneath the clutter of everything else.
Gratitude takes time – and it’s hard to get in touch with this when we are feeling stressed and pressed for time. So I felt like this was a little reminder to myself to stop and take the time to say thank you, to remember the beauty in everyday things, and to connect.
I reckon I was also inspired by this article on some level, which came onto my Facebook feed at just the right time: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/24/gratitude-giving-thanks/