By Colleen Corbett

The Law of Relativity teaches that nothing we experience is inherently good or bad—it's all about comparison. A “bad” experience only seems bad when we compare it to something better. And at any moment, we can just as easily compare our situation to something much worse.

Gratitude is at the heart of the Law of Relativity—gratitude for where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Gratitude becomes a stepping stone, helping us raise our vibration one step at a time. It lifts us and allows us to find the good in any situation. And what if we could go even further—what if we could feel gratitude in advance for what we believe or hope is on its way? Can I imagine looking back on a current challenge and feeling thankful for the lessons, the growth, the wisdom that came from it? My life is a string of experiences that, with hindsight, I can often look back on with deep gratitude.

During the early years of our marriage, my husband was in Dental School, and we lived a very lean life. Each year brought more student loans, and our debt kept climbing. We had one small car, three little children, and lived in subsidized housing. Month after month, I’d stare at our bank account, tally up the bills, and wonder how on earth we were going to make it work.

But somehow, every month, something showed up—an unexpected bit of income, a tender mercy, a helping hand. We never went hungry. Our needs were always met. It wasn’t easy by any means, but we were deeply grateful. And while we were thankful for what we had, we also carried gratitude for the future we believed was coming. We held on to the hope that our financial situation would improve, that we’d pay off the debt, that life would eventually look different.

That gratitude in advance became our anchor. We didn’t spend our energy comparing our life to something easier or more glamorous—we compared it to what it could have been, and we were thankful. Looking back now, those years feel rich with meaning. I’m filled with gratitude for the strength we built, the faith we developed, and the love and support we received from family and friends. In hindsight, I can see just how good those hard years really were.

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