In all your musical years, when have you ever truthfully said "thank you" to your bass guitar? — Victor L. Wooten, The Music Lesson
It is easy to forget that gratitude, just like music and other arts or trades, is a practice—something to be worked at regularly with the acceptance that it will never be perfected, that there is no real finish line.
The practice is the thing.
You don’t have to search the internet for very long to find evidence and commentary on the benefits of gratitude on mental health. From UC Berkeley and Harvard to NAMI and the NIH, you can find studies and explorations of the effects of gratitude practice and the implications therein.
If you’re like me, you've come across this idea many times. Maybe you wrote a list or two or tried to meditate on it for a couple of days, and then it just sort of slipped away to the back of your mind. One of the many things that you know would be good for you, but it’s also just one more thing to keep track of.
But our mental health is as important as our physical health, and it would appear that gratitude is a highly significant contributor to that health. It is a muscle, and like any muscle, it must be exercised rigorously and consistently in order to operate properly.
I still don’t have the answer on how best to do this in a way that is sustainable, that will build habit. One can write gratitude letters, make lists, and meditate. Verbally express their gratitude to the people around them. I have a feeling that the method is less important than the practice itself.
I have a long way to go on this journey, but I can start here. I am grateful for:
- all who have taken time out of their busy lives to read these musings
- the opportunity to face the challenges that help me grow
- the opportunity to create art
- this life in all its wonders and uncertainties
- the kindness and love of friends
- dark chocolate
- movies
- the fact that nothing is permanent, and all things change eventually
Perhaps I’ve gone off the rails a little bit. After all, the quote above was about music, right? And yes, we who are musicians will greatly benefit from practicing gratitude for the tools that assist us in expressing that which words cannot, just as all of us will benefit from practicing gratitude in all aspects of our lives.
I forget sometimes, but I am committed to try and try again. After all, practice makes progress.
Be well, and see you on the next one!
P.S. Are you a k8 music teacher? If so, I have a great piece of concert repertoire all about gratitude. “Grateful For You” is a fun and uplifting addition to any concert program and a great jumping off point for exploring the meaning and practice of gratitude in your classroom. Check it out HERE!