I feel a lot of emotions, and not always the positive ones today’s question asks about. Honestly, I do feel a lot of happiness and positivity—probably because I inherited my mom’s way of looking at life. She always taught me to focus on the brighter side of things. Sure, things could be better, but they could also be so much worse. That perspective has carried me through more than a few rough patches.

That’s not to say I live in a perpetual sunshine bubble. I also wrestle with fear, angst, and worry—usually because I’m wondering if I somehow messed something up or got something wrong. But most of the time, that storm cloud gets pushed aside by the sunshine of those other emotions.

And then there’s love—so much love. It’s what the Lord puts in my heart for other people, and I try to let 1 Corinthians 13 guide how I show it: patiently, kindly, without keeping score, always persevering.

But when you put all of that together, it lands on gratitude—and not the fleeting kind you feel when someone lets you merge in traffic or buys you coffee. It’s more of the kind that lingers—the slow-burn gratitude that shows up in the quiet moments.

I feel it when I wake up and realize I get to spend another day with Daryl. I feel it when my students light up because they “get” something for the first time. I feel it when Lizzi calls just to say hi, or when Sully barrels into me with a hug. I feel it when I taste a great bourbon and remember the friends and memories tied to it.

Life isn’t perfect. It never has been. But every day, there’s something—some small mercy, some flash of beauty, some unexpected kindness—that leaves me feeling thankful. Gratitude has this sneaky way of turning even the hard days into something worth holding onto.

If that’s the emotion I feel most often, I figure I’m doing all right.

Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt