One Tiny Leaf of Gratitude

I volunteer in a building that houses several different non-profit and county agencies. My position is one of those sit-at-your-desk type of jobs that is computer dominated, so I set a timer to ring on the hour. When my phone chimes, I take a short break from my office and go on a walkabout from one end of the building to the other, circle out and around the block, and re-enter the building with renewed focus and fresh energy to make a difference and change the world, one keystroke at a time.

These regular walks up and down the hallways have led to me meeting many people who work in the building. I try not to be too much of a snoop as I peek into the various office doors, but it is hard to not notice who has plants in their windows, who has a messy office, who has a line of dirty coffee cups by their computer, who has some pretty nice art, who has pictures of their children on their desks, who likes to listen to jazz, or who has a mini-trampoline. I enjoy spotting the different nuances that make each office unique and representative of its respective office dweller.

As I walk by, most people are very friendly and welcome the break from their computers. They shout out, "Hey, Kennedy!" or simply wave or sometimes even invite me in for a chat. I learn a lot about their positions, how they contribute to the community, their families, and what makes them happy about their work. Marianne, the person with the rebounder, always invites me in for a bounce. I always appreciate her generosity, as it always makes me laugh to jump up and down.

Outside her office, Marianne has a large piece of drawing paper taped to the wall by her door. On the paper she has drawn the outline of a deciduous tree with bare branches radiating from its swirly trunk, with the question "WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?" handwritten below the bare-branched tree. On a chair beneath the tree picture, she has an assortment of little cut out fall-colored leaves, some glue sticks, and some Sharpies for people to stop, write, and glue their little happy leaf of gratitude onto the tree. How can you not love this person?

Well, during the first few weeks, the tree had a decided post-fall appearance to it . . . meaning that not a lot of people were stopping by to glue their leaves of gratitude to the tree.

What with my regular hourly walks, I have had to discipline myself to not dominate the tree with my own little leaves of gratitude. I restrain myself and only affix one or two leaves a week. While I might not glue a little leaf to the tree on every single walk, I still carry with me the wonder of gratitude that the tree poster inspires on my hourly rounds.

The times when I do stop to add a new leaf, I write things about my family, my health, my bounty of blessings, the weather, the food that nourishes my body, my morning coffee, my mind with which I can create and grow. It makes me happy to take part in this lovely exercise that invites others to share and to collaborate on the joys of life. Every day when I pause to glue another leaf to the tree, I thank Marianne for being so thoughtful. What a cool person!

The other day I noticed that Marianne had taken the tree poster down. It had been simply layered with fall leaves that represented the joys of everyone in the building. I absolutely love the feeling of community that she has created by posting this in the hallway for all to see and enjoy.

I thought about Marianne’s idea and I carried it forward to start a new poster outside of my office. I drew a crude outline of a happy face with a huge smile and wrote above it: “What makes you laugh out loud?” along with the quote “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” I cut out some yellow circles and left them in an empty Kleenex box on a chair along with some Sharpies and a glue stick.

Some of the responses were very relatable, such as improv comedy or my goofy dog or my kids’ stories. Other responses were what I would call a little obscure, such as skiing with my husband or eating Oreos in the movie theatre. The best part of these responses is that I would really like to know the story behind the Oreos. And what is it about her husband that makes skiing so hilarious? Reading these vignettes makes me laugh out loud each morning when I come in to work.

Life is full of the daily events that comprise what we call The Grind. The Grind has the potential to absorb and suck up joy, gratitude, and appreciation into its vacuum of routine and humdrum activities, so much so that we forget to focus on the trees of gratitude for the forest – something that sometimes causes us to lose our way. With people like Marianne to inspire reflection, we are handed a map and a compass to keep us on the good path.