Finding Gratitude in the hard city of Baltimore
Gratitude lists like these are precisely why I doubled down on my gratitude practice and my gratitude mission. I co-founded a nonprofit gym called MissionFit. Serving Baltimore’s youth became my life.
Those years working with Baltimore’s youth were fulfilling and exhausting. My batteries got charged from working with those brilliant children. My batteries got drained from hearing about their struggles.
I’d leave work thinking about how to equip them with the tools to navigate their harsh realities. I thought about what could curb the violence in the city I loved but was afraid of.
Gratitude was a part of the answer. Always being able to find a silver lining in a tough situation, while facing that situation head-on. We did “strength training” in more ways than one in that gym. Coming out of that hard city with love and positivity takes serious strength.
If you look at this list that one of our youths wrote in 2017, you’ll see that #1 and #5 are pretty mundane. You can find those relatable, right? What about #2, #3, #4? Seeing those and similar sentences used to break my heart.
Our struggles are relative to our experiences. We can’t compare ourselves to these kids or anyone else who struggles for freedom and survival daily. We can let this be a lesson of perspective and reflection.
When I started the gratitude circles at the end of our workouts, the kids were resistant to share. It was like pulling teeth. Often I would have to go first, then put a couple of coaches on the spot, then let the kiddos go if they were comfortable.
By the time I left MissionFit, the youth knew exactly what was going to happen at the end of our session together. Sometimes a beautiful young human would pull me aside and say, “ay, GB! Can I go first in the circle today?” Bless them.
Sometimes we’d have to limit their gratitude to their top 3 because the creative kids could rattle of things for hours if we let them. Their brains were now wired to see the brighter side of life while acknowledging the harder side as well.
Today I am grateful to have earned their trust. I unlocked one of my unknown superpowers during those sessions. For all my human flaws, when I say I’m gonna show up, I show up. I will make that promise to you as well.
If you’d like to join the movement that I show up for every day, go HERE. That’s where I show up every day with Gratitude Prompts & Useful Thought Exercises. People like us practice gratitude consistently, together.
