A string of thoughts :)
A pink sunset or the smell of rain in the summer. I’ve found gratitude in folk songs and in cheesy rom-coms that allow me to forget about all my problems for a few hours. I’ve felt gratitude in places and people; in hearts that remain pure through pain, and in people that you meet by happenstance but end up being the most impactful to your story.
I’ve seen gratitude in strangers and in exes that I learned so much from. I’ve felt a burning sensation to hold on to love, but to embrace the pain even harder. I’ve felt overflowing gratitude for every sunset I’ve ever seen and every boy that’s ever hurt me. I have gratitude for every friend that’s ever truly seen me. I have the utmost gratitude for my college friends. I hold gratitude for my home friends, and the friends that have been at my side when I wore braces and my ears didn’t quite fit my face yet.
Gratitude feels like a fresh breath of air; all at once, almost intoxicating. It is felt within the first inhale, sustained all the way down your body and into your lungs. It travels out like an exhale, but always lingers. It’s what keeps your blood flowing and your heart pumping. It’s what you transfer to someone else and becomes their survival guide too. Gratitude is a recurring feeling of inner peace and warmth. It’s overpowering, sometimes more complex than one emotion. It’s what has allowed me to let go even when I didn’t want to or to open my heart when I wasn’t fully sure.