Cicero declared gratitude to be “the Mother of All Virtues.” Dr. Glenn Fox, a USC researcher at the forefront of gratitude and human performance, describes gratitude as “the most sophisticated of all virtues.” Current research shows positive links between gratitude and health, including more pro-social behaviors that promote resilience and coping (1).
As important as gratitude is to our well-being, it may be hard to muster up, especially when life throws us a giant curveball, like a global pandemic. We can be grateful for the good in our life, but is there benefit in embracing the “grit” with gratitude as well?
“Yes,” says Dr. Leah Marie Buturain, a theologian, medievalist, and gerontologist who is known for her work on mindful aging. As explanation, she shared with me this beautiful 13th century poem by Jalaluddin Rumi:
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
I am delighted to welcome Dr. Leah Marie Buturain as our Wellness Wednesday guest speaker on September 23rd, 11-11:45 am PT, when she will share Gratitude and Resilience: Welcoming Life’s Grit and Graces with Thanksgiving. You will learn how practicing gratitude — even if it doesn’t come naturally — changes the brain and opens the heart, helping us adapt to and navigate life’s constant changes. This webinar is free but you need to register to attend (or receive the recording).
Leah Marie Buturain, PhD, is a theologian, medievalist, and gerontologist who has been teaching at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology for twenty years. She serves on USC’s Mindful Science Research Committee and offers seminars and presentations on Mindful Aging at the Board of Councilor’s Vibrant Living Retreat. She has a PhD in Theology and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary.