Life Domain: Self · Practice: Gratitude
I’ve held onto the first sack of coffee I ever purchased. It’s nothing special on the surface—just a simple burlap bag. The coffee it held is long gone. But that sack? It’s not just fabric. It’s a reminder. A marker of where things started.
While sackcloth might traditionally carry connotations of mourning or loss, for me, it’s become a source of gratitude.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Do not despise small beginnings”? It’s a line from the Bible—regardless of what you think about the source, there’s a deep truth packed into it.
Think about this:
Years ago, Sia won the Grammy for Best New Artist. But in her acceptance speech, she said something like, “I’m not new. I’ve been working for more than a decade.” And yet, only now was the world taking notice.
Or how about in today’s world of influencers and startups? You see someone blow up on Instagram or launch what seems like an overnight success—and you think, Wow, they’re huge. But what you don’t see is the money they poured into advertising… or the years of behind-the-scenes effort.
None of this is to cast shade—it’s to say: comparison will rob you of gratitude every time.
When I was recently working on writing out my life story, I saw a theme emerge: I spent a long time believing I wasn’t as smart as others. That mindset quietly shaped so much of my early life. Instead of celebrating my own strengths, I envied what I lacked.
Even now, with Buck’s Coffee, I sometimes catch myself doing the same thing—looking outward at other people’s highlight reels and overlooking my own progress. But that’s where the burlap sack comes in.
It brings me back to gratitude. Back to what’s real.
And here’s the science behind it:
Practicing gratitude actually rewires your brain. It activates reward centers, releases dopamine and serotonin, and helps lower stress. Over time, it builds resilience and trains you to see life through a lens of abundance, not lack.
That sack reminds me that we started somewhere small—and we’re still going.
I want to keep looking back with thankfulness… and looking forward with hope.
What’s one small object, moment, or memory that reminds you to be grateful?
Grab a cup of coffee, sit with it for a minute, and let it shape your perspective.
