“No man has ever lived that had enough
Of children’s gratitude or woman’s love.”
William Butler Yeats, Vacillation, III, st. 1
Have you ever noticed how grateful children are for the simple act of giving them time and attention?
“Daddy, Daddy, look at me!”
Put down the paper, turn off the TV, and take the time to look.
Remember the story of the young girl who placed her hands on both sides of her father’s face, turned his head toward her, and said: “Daddy, look at me with your whole face.”
This is not an easy task in our world of “permanent partial attention.”
True gratitude doesn’t leave you feeling like you owe other people something after all, if you’ve done someone a favor, you probably don’t want the person to feel like you expect something back in return. It’s all about feeling good and creating a cycle of good.