With Thanksgiving around the corner here in the U.S., thoughts tend to turn to gratitude. But gratitude doesn’t come easy when life feels like it’s falling apart. It’s easy to count your blessings when things are going great. It’s almost impossible when your heating system is limping along mid-November in Maine and your septic system is threatening to join the rebellion. “Just be grateful” sounds like a cruel joke at that point. And yet, if you take a moment, just a split second, maybe, you might hear a little voice say, “It’s not perfect, but it’s enough.”

When the world feels like it’s falling apart, it’s easy to roll your eyes at the word gratitude. I get it. When I’ve been scared about bills or work or life in general, being told to “just be grateful” has felt like a slap in the face. Because gratitude doesn’t erase fear, and it sure doesn’t pay the rent.

But over time, I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s fine, it’s about recognizing what’s still holding. A roof over your head, food in your fridge, a running car, the people who show up when you need them most.

There are plenty of folks out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Remembering that isn’t meant to guilt you. It's a lifeline to help ground. you.

Finding Gratitude When Things Feel Hard

Real gratitude doesn’t float above the mess; it plants its feet in it. It’s the feeling that sneaks in while you sip coffee with a purring cat on your shoulder. It’s the tiny smile that appears when an unexpected rebate hits your account and suddenly, you can treat yourself to an iced coffee from Aroma Joe’s.

Gratitude doesn’t require you to ignore your stress, it just gives your mind something else to notice. The warmth in your cup. The fact that your car started this morning. The reminder that you’ve survived worse and rebuilt before.

And sometimes, yes, gratitude is as simple as realizing the cat didn’t throw up on your keyboard today. Small wins count.

How to Make Gratitude a Habit (Without Forcing It)

Forget the gratitude journals that turn into guilt trips. Start smaller.

At the end of the day, name one thing that didn’t go wrong. That’s it. Just one.

You’ll start to notice that even when things feel shaky, there’s always something working in your favor.

When life starts to spiral, pause. Look around. Ask yourself, “What’s still okay?” It might be tiny, but that’s how gratitude works... it grows from the cracks.

🐱 Here’s to heat that works, hearts that love, and cats that don’t puke on keyboards,

Decoding the Shift: From Toxic Positivity to True Gratitude

Toxic positivity tells you to “focus on the good” as if ignoring the bad makes it disappear. True gratitude says, “Yeah, things are rough, and I can still see the good hiding under the rubble.”

That shift is everything. Toxic positivity shames you for feeling human. True gratitude meets you where you are and offers a hand up. It doesn’t demand a smile; it simply says, “You’ve got reasons to keep going.”

Gratitude isn’t the same as pretending. It’s proof that you can hold two truths at once; that life can be hard and still hold moments of beauty worth noticing.

The Quiet Power of Gratitude

Gratitude doesn’t fix the world. It doesn’t replace your heating system or lower grocery prices. But it does shift your energy from powerless to peaceful.

It’s a reminder that the little things; love, laughter, a purring cat; aren’t little at all. They’re the pieces of proof that even in chaos, there’s still something steady to stand on.

Because when the world’s on fire, gratitude isn’t denial. It’s how we keep the flame from burning us down.

So today, ask yourself, "What small, steady thing are you grateful for today even if everything else feels uncertain?”

If this resonated with you, please share it with a friend who could use a reminder that gratitude isn’t about ignoring the chaos it’s about finding something steady to hold onto.