There is an interesting reciprocity in gratitude.
When you feel thankful for others, they feel thankful too. No one is doing anyone a favour. Everyone walks away feeling enriched.
This morning, we had a small family ceremony rooted in Vedic tradition. Nothing elaborate. Just close friends and family coming together around something we value deeply.
What stayed with me was not the ritual itself, but the feeling in the room. People were not there out of obligation. They were present. Engaged. Connected by a shared understanding.
At the end, many of them thanked us for including them. For bringing everyone together. And yet, my wife and I felt the same way. Grateful that they showed up despite it being a working day. Grateful that they made the time.
It struck me that when something is true to who you are, gratitude flows naturally in both directions.
Perhaps the joy is not in making something bigger.
It is in making it true and sharing it with the right people.