In the rooms of recovery, gratitude is big. We commonly hold meetings with gratitude as a topic, and encourage the discipline of a regular written gratitude list. It’s one of the tentpoles of our programs.

And yet, gratitude can be elusive, maybe especially at the beginning. When I look around, I might see mostly my frustrations, the things that, due to years of addictive behavior, just don’t work as well as I would like. My career may not be what I wished for, and I get caught up in what’s not meeting my expectations.

Today, if I’m struggling with my gratitude list, I’ll try it from a different angle and reflect on the good things that have happened throughout my life. In an entire autobiography, I may see reasons for gratitude that I don’t often think of: I had even one teacher or relative who encouraged me; I had access to education; I am well enough to work. Taken together, I might start to see these things as a sign that all of life is a gift, and gratitude for the present may flow a little easier.