Gratitude Rocks.

In this episode, I explore how gratitude transforms lives, weaving personal stories like a moment of clarity on a Baja beach with philosophical insights and science to reveal its power as a spark for joy. From Cicero’s wisdom to a listener finding hope through simple nightly reflections, discover how gratitude can light up your world.

SHOW NOTES

Quotes

“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” -Amy Collett

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” -Cicero

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

“Gratitude is the recognition of a debt we cannot repay, but which we can honor through our actions.” - Emmanuel Kant

Recommended Reading:

The Gratitude Connection- Amy Collett  https://amzn.to/43c3Ewz

Reference:

The Gratitude Rock Story - http://www.michaelfaller.com/the-story-of-the-gratitude-rock/

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NOTE: Links to recommended reading material are affiliate links. You will pay the same price but a portion of your purchase will go to support The Soul Podcast.

Transcript

Amy Collette, author of The Gratitude Connection said, “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” 

Welcome to The Soul Podcast. I’m Stacey Wheeler. 

Every night at 9:30, my phone hums with a reminder: “Be grateful.” I stop, close my eyes, and name three things I’m thankful for—a warm coffee, a friend’s kind word, the way the stars peek through my window. It’s a small ritual, but it’s like a deep breath for my soul, reminding me that life, even on the hardest days, is a gift. There’s always something to hold close, something to light the way. 

For as long as we’ve been writing—probably longer—humanity has celebrated gratitude. Over 2,000 years ago, the Roman philosopher Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” That’s a big claim, right? How does gratitude root every virtue? 

It’s because gratitude anchors you in the now. It’s a quiet moment that washes away worries, softens your ego, and opens your eyes to the goodness around you. There’s no faster way to shift your heart. When you lean into gratitude, you’re bowing to life’s beauty. You might sleep deeper, shake off aches, forgive quicker, or feel less alone. With practice, it weaves optimism into your days, painting your world with brighter hues. 

Gratitude is selfless—you give without expecting anything back. And it’s contagious, rippling out like a stone dropped in a still lake. Friedrich Nietzsche saw this in art’s timeless power. He said, “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” Think of Michelangelo’s David, carved from stone yet alive with grace, or the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, a hymn to creation. These works endure because they spring from appreciation—a love for life’s delicate beauty. When we live from gratitude, we join that cycle. We see beauty, which sparks joy, which deepens our appreciation. Around and around it goes, a dance of the soul that makes life glow. 

Science lights up this truth. Studies show gratitude rewires your brain for contentment. An fMRI study found that grateful moments ignite areas tied to morality, reward, and judgment. They boost dopamine and serotonin, ease stress, and forge paths to your brain’s bliss center. It’s like gratitude flips a switch, making joy feel closer, your heart lighter. 

The philosopher Emmanuel Kant said, “Gratitude is the recognition of a debt we cannot repay, but which we can honor through our actions.” 

But gratitude wasn’t always my path. For years, I carried a shadow, questioning what life was for. I’d lie awake, wondering why the days felt heavy, why joy slipped through my fingers. It’s human, isn’t it? Philosophers have wrestled with that question for millennia, and we do too. Back then, I saw life through a lens of lack—what I didn’t have, what I’d lost. Gratitude was just a word, something I read about and nodded at, but didn’t feel. It took time to shift, a slow unraveling. I started small, noticing moments—a stranger’s smile, a song that hit deep. Each one was a crack in the wall, letting light in. 

One day, that light became a flame. I was on a remote beach in southern Baja, Mexico, under a boundless blue sky. The wind was sharp, the sand untouched. My friends and I had roared in on an ATV, laughing, present in the moment, free. At the water’s edge, the Sea of Cortez shimmered like a promise. I spotted a small, smooth stone—not a shell, but a petrified fossil, heavy in my hand. I rubbed it with my thumb, feeling the moment’s perfection. My friends nearby, the world alive, joy swelling in my chest. I was whole, alive. Life was perfection... if only for that moment. 

Earlier that month, I’d read about a man in Africa who shared gratitude rocks with his community. A visitor had been to his village. When a small stone had fallen from his pocket, a man asked why he carried a stone with him. The man explained, it was there to remind him to appreciate his life; to appreciate the moment. “Any time I feel it in my pock, it's a reminder that life is a gift.” the man said. Later, the man -a father, desperate for his sick son, asked the man -who had told him about his gratitude practice- for three rocks. Miraculously, the boy healed. During the time the boy recovered, those with the gratitude rocks noticed that they appreciated life on a higher level. They embraced every moment in a brighter, more beautiful way; more intensely. Over time, the father and his friends gave out more than 1,000 rocks, spreading gratitude like wildfire. The story made me smile. I understood it on a philosophical level -as well as a visceral one. I'd known that feeling in busts. But rarely had I held gratitude for long periods. 

Standing on that remote beach, holding the stone, I felt it—gratitude for a day I’d never dreamed of, for friends, for the wonder of being alive. I slipped the stone into my pocket, my own personal gratitude stone. I took a long breath, drinking in the moment. There would never be another like it, and it was mine. 

I carried the stone for years before I put it away, for fear of loosing it. From time to time, I come across the stone, among my things -and it pulls me back to that Baja shore. It whispers that perfection hides in the now, if we let it. I got a message recently from a listener named Sarah, who started her own gratitude practice after hearing this story. She was in a dark place, feeling lost after a job loss. She began writing three things each night—simple things, like her dog’s wagging tail or a warm blanket. Slowly, she noticed a shift. “I started seeing light again,” she wrote. “Gratitude didn’t fix everything, but it gave me hope.” Her words hit me hard. That’s the power of gratitude—it’s a spark that can light up even the darkest corners. 

Here’s a way to try it yourself. Let’s do a quick gratitude meditation, right now. Close your eyes if you can, or just soften your gaze. Take a slow breath in, and out. Picture someone or something you’re thankful for—a person, a moment, a place. Let that feeling settle in your heart. 

Say to yourself, “I’m grateful for this.” Take another breath, and let joy rise. 

That’s it. You’ve just planted a seed. 

Life isn’t always easy—far from it. But every moment is a gift, a spark in your soul’s grand journey. So, here’s your invitation: tonight, name three things you’re grateful for. A kind word, a starry sky, the beat of your heart. Write them down, say them out loud, whatever feels right. Try it for a week, and watch your heart lift. You’re woven into something vast, and there’s always beauty to thank the universe for. 

The next time you're out for a walk, watch for your gratitude stone. It's looking for you. Let it find you.

Thanks for being here with me. Share your gratitude moments in the comment section. I'd love to hear from you. 

For regular updates on new episodes, don't forget to subscribe or follow the show. Until next time, keep shining, you beautiful spark.