Staying Grateful

In May, I flew with two friends from Vancouver to Cancun for a Bachelor party. It was an empty flight – the Dreamliner – and we were fortunate to be e-upgraded to Business and sit in pods. After I sat down, a husband-and-wife couple and two kids got on and sat next to us. Clearly, the father had kept the news that they were flying Business a surprise. The whole family was ecstatic. “Dad!!! Are you kidding me!? I don’t have to sit in the middle seat! You tricked us!” The excitement persisted. This kid crushed about six sodas and was jumping up and down the whole flight with a huge smile on his face. “Dad, do we get to keep the headphones?!” His enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself grinning on the dad’s behalf. It was awesome.

A close friend came out to visit in the Winter and we went for dinner at one of Calgary’s oldest steakhouses, Caesar’s. He had never tried a tableside Caesar salad, so we ordered one. He was mind blown. “Wow. Best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. Hands down.”. His enthusiasm pumped me up too. It was awesome.

It’s easy to take things we enjoy for granted when they become a regular experience. Sharing something you enjoy with someone and seeing them experience it for the first time is a great way to re-ignite that feeling of gratitude. I can’t wait to share lots of “firsts” with Henry.


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