I posted this on a Facebook coupon group I belong to, and got over 650 responses! It is my original writing, not someone else's.
Gratitude, not attitude...
Last week Lowes was giving away gift cards in denominations from $5 to $1500. As to be expected, most cards were $5, which is what I got. I saw some posts from people saying they "only" got $5. I felt it was $5 that I did not have before. I applied it to toilet paper.
This week I got a similar email from Staples. The amount was not revealed until checkout time. I applied the law of probability and got some Bounty paper towels on special for $5. When I got to checkout, the cashier told me I "only" got $5. I told him that it was $5 I did not have before and I was happy to have it.
Some people posted that such a small amount of money was not worth it to them.
We all receive many small amounts of money, whether it is a discount, a coupon, or a free product. Are we going to scowl because it was not more, or are we going to be thankful for the blessing it is?
The attitude of gratitude attracts more things to be grateful for, and equates to a content and peaceful life.
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You are correct Judy, be thankful for any amount not because it is only "$5". Definitely money we did not have before. I am always thankful for any savings whether it cents, or dollar amount. It's always a good feeling to save. :)
Thank you for your kind response.
Great essay. My family got $35 during this Lowes promotion and we were thrilled! I got $10 and my son got $25. We were able to buy a pack of strawberry starts (my son's choice), some sale violas, a succulent and a small package of grass seed. I think we paid pocket change for the difference. Of course, we would have loved to get one of the larger prizes but I felt like a winner anyway. And if we had only gotten $5 each, we still would have been happy.
The promotion impressed me so much that I have decided to switch to Lowes instead of Home Depot for those sort of purchases. They are in adjoining parking lots so there is no real hardship to me and I'd rather give my money to a company that values their customers in ways like this. The prices are always about the same anyway.
Thank you. I was astounded at how many people responded to my Facebook post, and every one positive. I had some people telling me that they were going to change the way they looked at things after reading it.
Thanks for reminding us that our lives can be richly blessed - even in small amounts.
Betty
Thanks for great essay and the reminder to be grateful for the small and large things in our lives.
Judy I would like to thank you for reminding all of us that
"Little Fish are Sweet" which is what my Mum always says. It is so true, and your note helps to remind me to be on the look out every day for small things to be thankful for.
I love your attitude! My husband and I tend to feel the same way. It really doesn't matter how much it is, it's the point to us. I just had knee replacement surgery this week and spent 3 days in the hospital. The majority of the nursing staff was wonderful. Even for those that weren't, I told myself that they might have been having a rough day. I tried to thank everyone, even for little things. It's a saying that one of my previous pastors used to say "Have an attitude of gratitude". It can make a difference in not only your life but someone else's.
A lot of people only make $5 an hour after taxes and tithe. A $5 gift card is a blessing.
good for you!
Reminds me of my mother. When i grew out of something and it was still decent she always passed it on and said"Somebody will be glad of it". 60 years on, it seems a lot of people take things as a right and very few are ever 'glad of it'. As you say, it was something you didn't have before.
ANYTHING FREE that you can use is a good thing, even if it's "ONLY" $5.00. I'm almost 63 and still pick up any change I find on the ground...I can only guess how much it has added up to in all my years. I started as a kid for gum money, but it's stuck with me my whole life, and I will continue for as long as I can bend over !!!!
I do too Marg. When ever I find money on the ground and usually it is a penny. I say "Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you will have good luck" as I pick up the penny and put it in my purse.
I agree. 5 dollars is more than you had before and it used to be 5.00 was a lot of money. Society has become slightly jaded and people are just not as grateful as they used to be when I was a kid or as grateful that they should be.We cannot change them but we can be an example to them that it is good to be grateful for whatever we receive.
My family entered the lottery as a group for many years, and at one of our holiday dinners we were chatting about what we would do if we ever won. One of my sisters said she wouldn't want to win any small amount, like 1-2 million dollars, she only wanted to win if it was truly big, like 5 or more million. As everyone stared dumbfounded by her statement, I piped in with 'well, if we win an amount too small for you, I'll take it off you hands'. :)
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