Thought of the Day: “We can only be said to be alive…

November 22, 2025

Thought of the Day: “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” — Thornton Wilder

There are certain quotes that don’t whisper to you, they tap you on the shoulder, clear their throat, and say, “Hey… pay attention.”

This is one of them.

When I read Wilder’s line this morning, I felt that familiar internal shift, the one that happens when a quote hits a little too close to home. It reminded me that being alive isn’t just about moving through the day, checking boxes, and hoping your coffee kicks in before your kids do. Being alive is noticing. Noticing what you already have, what isn’t guaranteed, and what’s quietly keeping you afloat even when life feels heavy.

The problem is, noticing doesn’t come naturally. We live in a world built for distraction. Our attention is scattered like leaves across a windy sidewalk, work, responsibilities, small crises, big worries, meals that need to be cooked, jobs that need to be done, a billion things pinging us from every direction.

Treasure gets buried in all that noise.

That’s why gratitude is less of a feeling and more of a practice. You don’t stumble into it. You make space for it. Even if that space is ten seconds in the car before you walk into work. Even if it’s a breath. Even if you’re exhausted.

When I think about Wilder’s words, I think about the treasures I forget to notice:

my kids’ laughter, even when it erupts in the middle of a chaotic moment; the first sip of coffee when the world is still quiet; the surprising comfort of being able to text someone “I’m overwhelmed” and know they’ll get it. These aren’t grand things. They’re human things. And they’re the things that remind me I’m here, I’m alive, I’m present.

The truth is, gratitude won’t fix every problem. But it does something just as important, it keeps problems from becoming the entire story.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how we often misunderstand what our happiness is made of, and another time I reflected on choosing the right battles in life instead of the loudest ones. Wilder’s thought sits right in that same space: the quiet place where perspective changes everything.

We don’t become more alive by doing more.

We become more alive by noticing more.

And maybe today, that’s enough.

Maybe just noticing one treasure, one moment, one breath, one person, one truth, is more powerful than we think.

🧠 Read the full blog post where I explore this Thought of the Day and the Question of the Day

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