Finding Light in Everyday Moments

 

There’s a quote I often return to. Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

When I first read it, I felt something shift in me. Because so much of Life’s struggle comes not from ignorance, but from clinging tightly to false certainties. We think we know what will make us happy. We think we know what defines progress, success, or worth. Yet often, what we are so sure of blinds us to the quiet blessings already in our lives.

This is where gratitude steps in. Gratitude is not only about the big wins or the dramatic breakthroughs. It’s about seeing light in the ordinary. The things we overlook because we’ve been told they don’t count as much. But they do.

I think back to the days I’ve woken up heavy with worries. The times when money felt scarce, when my efforts didn’t feel enough, when the weight of responsibility pressed against my chest. In those moments, it was easy to get lost in frustration. But then, something as simple as the laughter of a friend, the softness of my cat curling beside me, or even the steady rhythm of my breath would remind me that life still holds goodness.

I have learned to be grateful for health, for the quiet miracle of my body carrying me day by day. Even on mornings when I don’t feel my best, my heart still beats, my lungs still draw air, my legs still carry me up mountain trails. These are blessings we often treat as background noise. But without them, all the other pursuits we chase would mean very little.

And then there are friendships. Not the hundreds of connections that social media glorifies, but the few souls who truly see us. Who notice when our smile hides a storm, who reach out not because they want something, but because they care. Those bonds remind me that quality has always been richer than quantity.

I’ve also found gratitude in unexpected places in the way men notice my beauty, even when I am not dressed to impress. When I wear no tight clothes, no carefully crafted image, and yet, I am still seen. It reminds me that true attraction goes beyond appearance it lies in presence, essence, the energy we carry without even trying.

Nature has been one of my deepest teachers of gratitude. Hiking to the mountains, I find peace that no city noise can give. The air sharp and fresh, carrying whispers of trees. The sound of leaves crackling under my steps. The sight of fog wrapping the peaks like a gentle veil. It’s as if nature itself is reminding me I am part of something bigger, something whole. The mountain never asks me to prove my worth. It simply holds space for me to breathe, reflect, and return home to myself.

But gratitude is not only about what is pleasing. It is also about what frees. And one of the greatest freedoms I have come to embrace is forgiveness.

Forgiveness of self for the times I judged myself too harshly, for the mistakes I replayed in my mind until they stole my peace. Gratitude enters here, because even those mistakes shaped me, carved depth into me, and taught me lessons no book could offer.

And forgiveness of others for those who have hurt me, knowingly or unknowingly. Carrying resentment only builds a prison around the heart. Gratitude helps me soften, reminding me that holding on to pain does not protect me; releasing it does. Forgiveness is not about saying what happened was okay it is about choosing not to let it chain me anymore.

When I look back, I see how easy it is to overlook these simple things. To be alive. To be breathing. To have a body that moves. To have people, even if just a few, who love us without condition. To be seen. To walk in nature and feel at home. To forgive and find freedom.

These are not small things. These are the foundations of life.

Gratitude is not blind to pain or challenges it does not deny struggle. Instead, it says, “Yes, life is hard. But still, look at what is here. Look at what is holding you. Look at what is possible.”

So today, I invite you to pause. Right now. Think of three things you often overlook but would miss if they were gone. Maybe it’s the way your morning coffee smells, the safe silence of your room, the laughter of someone you love, or even the simple gift of opening your eyes to a new day.

Write them down. Whisper them out loud. Carry them in your heart.

And as you do, ask yourself how might my life change if I chose to notice more often?

Gratitude will not solve every problem. But it will open your eyes to beauty in the midst of chaos. It will ground you when the world feels shaky. It will teach you that progress is not only about what you achieve, but also about how deeply you appreciate along the way.

So let us walk forward with gratitude, not only for the milestones but for the mundane. Because the mundane is not small it is sacred.

And maybe, just maybe, what we were so sure didn’t matter is exactly what makes all the difference.

 Your Call to Action: Before you close this page, pause. Place your hand on your chest. Feel your heartbeat. Take a breath. Think of one person to forgive, one part of yourself to embrace, and one small thing you are grateful for today. Then, let gratitude guide your next step.

Tonight, as my cat Moori curls in my hand, I’m grateful for her warmth and the quiet peace it brings.