gratitude and a cup of joe

Not too long ago, I inculcated a quiet gratitude practice in my daily routine for my morning cup of coffee once I had it in my hand before I took the first sip.

I have been going through some tough times, and one day I was just grateful that I’m still able to have my morning cup of coffee every single day. And then I expressed my gratitude again the next day, the day after that and it steadily became my everyday routine. I felt good that I was expressing my gratitude before I had my coffee to my previous self who got the beans, to the barista, to the coffee shop and the company that owned it, and to the Universe for my good fortune of having a soulful and uplifting cup of coffee even during these unfavorable times.

And so I was quite fascinated when I learned about a new book Thanks A Thousand in which AJ Jacobs, who is known for his distinctive style of immersion journalism, writes about his quest to personally thank each and every individual who contributed towards making his morning cup of joe possible. He expressed his gratitude in person to the farmers, the pest control lady at the warehouse where the coffee is stored, the people who design the storage containers, the baristas, and all other people involved in the process.

A particular occasion that he remembers vividly is when he called the woman who is in charge of pest control for the warehouse where the coffee is stored and said, “I know this sounds strange, but I want to thank you for keeping the bugs out of my coffee.” She replied, “That does sound strange. But thank you. You made my day.” And that, in turn, made his day.

A little gratitude goes a long way. And it’s even more magical when it’s expressed mutually and is a two-way street. It gives both the people involved a soothing sense of joy and a few memorable feel-good moments.

This is something that we can all emulate and try in our lives. Take some time out today to pause and reflect on the thought that more than a thousand people were involved in making your morning cup of coffee possible, or something else along the same lines. When we take this kind of bird’s-eye view, we realize that there a lot of things around us that we take for granted, and we propel ourselves to appreciate them more.  

In our day to day life, we come across countless opportunities to say thanks. Grab them and let the magic of gratitude permeate both your life and others’.