Compassion and Gratitude - How to Bridge Them
- Deborah VanSickle
- Apr 10, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 12, 2025
Compassion and Gratitude: Why is it Important?
Compassion and gratitude are two essential virtues that can positively improve your life. If you take steps to learn to be compassionate, you will see the appreciation of your thoughtfulness. It will resonate with the person you had compassion towards.
In fact, compassion refers to the ability to empathize with others and show kindness towards them. It involves recognizing the pain and suffering of others and making an effort to alleviate it.
On the other hand, gratitude involves acknowledging and appreciating the good things in our lives, no matter how small they may seem. It involves focusing on the positive aspects of life and being thankful for them.
The Health Benefits of Compassion and Gratitude
Both compassion and gratitude have numerous benefits for your mental and physical health. Studies have shown that practicing compassion can improve:
• Your relationships with others
• Reduce stress
• Increase your overall happiness
Being grateful can also have similar effects that include:
• Reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Improving your sleep quality
• Boosting your immune system
A Story About Compassion, Gratitude, and Greed
As the stories over the years were told, I started fishing when I was eighteen months old. Growing up I remember seeing the pictures of my Aunt Libby and I fishing. We were at the stream that ran under a small stone bridge down the street from our house. I was wearing a plaid coat with a fishing basket hanging diagonally over my shoulder and a fishing pole in my hand. Well, this was just the beginning of learning how to fish.
My father was an avid fisherman and would take us to Canada every year. He would go out on the big lakes near Blue Sea with his fishing buddies to catch Walleye Pike.
Hence, I would have to stay at the cabin all day with my mother. We would get things ready for when they would come back home from fishing.
Waiting for the Day
My father told me that when I got old enough, he would let me go out on the lake where our cabin was located. Also, I would have to learn the proper way to fish from a boat.
Finally, the year came when he let me be responsible by taking a boat out. I was so excited and hardly slept that night in anticipation of being able to go on the boat the next morning.
Over the years, my dad instilled in me certain rules of fishing. The next morning, my father sat me down and reminded me of how I must abide by the rules. If he found out I did not listen to him, there would be consequences for my actions.
Rules to Remember
• First, you must always wear your life preserver for safety and don’t bend over the brim of the boat.
• Second, you must respect nature. So if you want to take worms from the ground you must not take more than what you will use.
• Third, if you want to catch minnows for bait. You must not be greedy. You must only take ten. Use them wisely. This way, nature can replenish itself in the cycle of life.
• Fourth, be kind to the fish when taking it off the hook. Even if you get scared. They have feelings too.
• Fifth, when you put the fish back in the water, do not throw it. Just gently let it back into water, therefore you don’t shock it and will most likely not die.
• Sixth, be thankful each time you go fishing even if you do not catch any fish. Fishing is a sport for enjoyment, being happy and laughing even when the fish makes it hard for you to reel them in.
• Seventh, always be mindful to clean the boat thoroughly and pull it up on land so it won’t float away.
Words That Resonate
There were other safety rules I had to abide by before my father let me take the boat out. Here are a few more rules: I had to stay near the shoreline and I had to always be in sight, so my mother could see me.
The words that my father taught me resonate to this day when I go fishing. In fact, I have even passed those teachings to my children and grandchildren.
Grateful for the Catch
That day I caught the biggest 24-inch Grass Pike that my eyes had ever seen. I laughed while struggling to reel it in and cried when it kept taking my line under the boat. When I finally got it in the boat, I could not stop smiling. Being proud of my catch, I couldn’t wait to show my parents.
I apologized to my father for not throwing the fish back into the lake. I explained to him, that in the future I will make sure to throw them back in the lake. Also, I told him I was so grateful for having the chance to go fishing by myself.
This is a great reminder that living a life of understanding, compassion, kindness, gratitude, and contentment can bring peace of mind and happiness, no matter where you are in life.
Ways to Enrich and Strengthen Your Efforts
One way to enrich and strengthen your compassion and gratitude is by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. By practicing mindfulness, you can become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This increased awareness can help you become more compassionate towards yourself and others, as well as more grateful for the good things in your life.
Another way to enhance the efforts of being compassionate and having gratitude is by not always putting your desires first. Do not let greed sneak into your life. By thinking of others first, you can reap so many more rewards. I can genuinely say it is wonderfully refreshing to see others smile with happiness.
You may enjoy reading my article on compassion and appreciation.
Discover more by clicking here.
Conclusion
By performing acts of compassion, kindness, being grateful, and not initiating greed you can create more positivity in your life.
Therefore, you will reap their numerous benefits. So take a moment to reflect on the good things in your life and be mindful towards others – it will inspire the change in your life for the better.
If you're taking a child to fish for the first time, you may want to read this article: Click here
Special Note – Added August 12, 2025: The original link to a Field & Stream article is no longer active, so it has been updated to share “10 Tips For Teaching Kids How To Fish” from Game & Fish Magazine by J. Michael Kelly. My sincere thanks to Mr. Greg Duncan for his kindness in granting permission for this article link. Your generosity helps bring valuable knowledge to our readers, and for that, I am truly grateful.— Deborah
"In a world that rushes, waiting can be its' own kind of truth."
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