The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Dear Wonderful Souls,

Human being are social creatures. So much of our lives are interwoven with others, whether it’s professional or personal, our connections are what gives color and depth into our lives.

If we asked you to tell us about a silly story that made you happy… Chances are you’ll tell us about a person who made you laugh with their words or actions, it might be a beloved friend, or a favorite family member.

The amazing thing is – not only do our family and friends bring joy in our lives – these happy relationships also keep us healthy.

This article is an interesting read; Harvard’s longest study of adult life reveals how you can be happier and more successful, and one of the quotes that really stood out was from Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard Medical School. He said, “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health.”

Each research towards health and happiness seem to point out that the people in our lives play such a significant role in our day-to-day, and how deeply our relationships are so closely linked with positive feelings.

Take a look at this short video of a fun experiment on relationships, and gratitude, and joy. 

Isn’t that amazing? Just by voicing our own gratitude, we increase our own joy. And by articulating it and sharing that gratitude, it multiplies.

We've talked about vulnerability in relationships before, how it can be uncomfortable and messy. And gratitude is one massive showcase of vulnerability. We might be very used to thanking a person for a favor, or for their time, but we’re not really used to thanking someone for their existence in our lives. Or thanking them for how they make us feel happy and safe, cared for and loved. It’s especially difficult if our love language is not one of spoken words.

Gratitude is a funny thing. It really is the gift that keeps on giving, a continuous loop of warm fuzzy feelings.

If you’re not yet comfortable in calling you best beloved to tell them how amazing they are, try writing a letter that you don’t have to send, or talk to their photo about their role in your life.

Or try a simple ‘remember when’ to show them how precious the memories you share with them are.

Because if we asked you to tell us about a silly story that made you happy… Chances are it would be about them, right?