Personal Thoughts On Gratitude from GSID
This time of year the word “gratitude” trends across social media, it appears throughout news articles, and it is trumpeted in endless TV-movie titles. Funny thing about “gratitude” is that where other buzzwords wilt in the bright light of the moment, gratitude remains poised, gracious, and unfazed by time. We like to say, ‘gratitude grows the more it shows.’ With that in mind, we asked members of the GSID team to share some moments of gratitude with you, our beloved readers.
The people we respect, the support we receive, good health and, of course, weekends
When asked, “Aside from family, who or what are you currently grateful for?” we received an abundance of enthusiastic responses. Fortunately for all of us, many of our colleagues recognized each other and the uplifting work environment at GSID.
Interior Designer, Carolyn Wheaten, expressed it as, “I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such creative, talented, driven, and intelligent women every day!” We feel the same way, Carolyn!
Erin Lynch, our design assistant, seems to be living out a lifelong passion: “I am grateful to work in a field I have been dreaming of being in since I was 11.” We’re grateful for your dreams, talents and determination.
Here are a few other things for which the team is grateful:
“Music and art that speaks to me and makes me feel so many wonderful things. Also delicious food and the creativity of cooking and baking (especially with loved ones), and finally for my two sweet kitties, Bart and Batman, who are full of love and cuddles!” ~ Claire Russell, director of process and operations
“There is a beautiful walking trail next to our neighborhood that is truly a hidden gem in our area. It follows along the Brandywine Creek and is a great spot for fly fishing, allowing your dog to go swimming, or just a long walk through the woods. I am so grateful I can enjoy this little slice of peace with my kids.” ~ Jill Colbert, senior designer
In nature is where many of us live our most gratitude-filled lives.
“Most of my best friends are lifelong friends which I know is rare. I am grateful for these friendships because I feel like I can be my true self, there is a network of support, and laughs are always guaranteed!” ~ Faith Stoveld, senior sales and marketing manager
Friends are the greatest.
“Being from a multi-cultural family background. Family all over the globe and having traveled to many places gives me a broad perspective on the world, people, situations. Awareness of different cultures brings richness to my life and how I experience daily local things.” ~ Vivian Mulder, design director
Small things can make a big impact
The grand gesture isn’t dead (you’ll read about one below), but gratitude, like love, really is all around us. Thoughtful words of affirmation, random acts of service and personal connections seem to mean the most.
Office Manager, Katie Packel noted, “It’s nice when someone goes out of their way to show you they care about you, even when it’s a small gesture.”
And sometimes the gratitude flows both ways. Katie’s grateful for Winston, and he seems pretty grateful for her, too.
Those feelings were echoed by most of us, including Jill, who said, “Kind words—unexpected messages of gratitude and appreciation are easy and heartfelt ways to always make sure people know you see them, appreciate them and love them.
For Glenna, those words of gratitude are best delivered via a “handwritten note.”
And, everyone highlighted the importance of showing gratitude to strangers or those we don’t know well. Our Senior Designer, Michelle Leff said, “To someone I am close to—gifting. But to someone I don’t really know—lending a listening ear, words of encouragement, smiling!”
The big things count, too!
The most smile-inducing, grand gesture story for the season was shared by Erin, who tells it this way: “The most unexpected and abundant form of gratitude I have ever experienced was just a few months ago. I moved to Philadelphia a year ago, and while I have a lot of family here, all of my closest and best friends live in San Francisco, where I am originally from. For my 30th birthday, my cousin threw me a huge Taylor Swift-themed surprise party. A ton of my best friends flew in from San Francisco to surprise me. The rush of emotions and gratitude I felt when I realized what was happening was extremely overwhelming, and it was one of the happiest days of my life.” We’re pretty sure Taylor Swift would approve!
Many of our team noted expressions of gratitude from our loved ones. Spouses, significant others, and our children find those big ways (and little moments) to fill us with overflowing appreciation. To all of you, we say, ‘thank you and love you to the moon and back!’
From all of us at Glenna Stone Interior Design, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and may the coming year be filled with gratitude and joy for you and yours.
We’d love to hear about a moment of gratitude for you. Put it in the comments below.
Want our weekly blog post delivered right to your inbox? Click here to sign up!
________________________________________
Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!
