Today is Day 2133 of my daily barefoot-style running streak. My total distance stands at 16,390.61km, which leaves 23,684.39km of the 40,075km lap of the world still to run.

Today's episode is about gratitude. I have covered the subject before. I return to gratitude at moments when I need the reminder myself, and this weekend is one of them.

Where I am this weekend

I am in Skegness with my in-laws, celebrating my father-in-law's 75th birthday. Skegness is where he grew up, so the location carries meaning for the family. Fourteen or fifteen of us are staying in one eight-bedroom house. The setting is lovely. The weather is windy, but the forecast looks workable.

Every part of this weekend gives me a reason to be thankful.

What my mind is doing

Work is busy right now. The business is going well and many things are moving at once. My head stays in working mode. I keep thinking I should be back sorting one task or another. I think about what needs doing while I am away and what waits for me when I return. The switch from working mode to holiday mode does not happen for me.

With my immediate family, this causes no friction. They know how I operate. I rarely take a holiday in the usual sense. I check in on things and do bits and pieces, and they accept this as normal for me.

With extended family, the expectations differ. People expect me to be present and to enjoy the moment. Their expectation is fair. I struggle to meet it. Sometimes I come across as someone who does not want to be there. This is untrue. I want to be there. A thousand things run through my head at the same moment, and ADHD adds to the noise.

Feeling grateful and showing gratitude are different

I am grateful for my family, for my extended family and for the experiences I share with them. I do not always show this on the outside. I call the feeling entrepreneurial anxiety. ADHD amplifies the feeling.

I have learned to separate two things. Gratitude is what I feel. Showing gratitude is what others see. My mind does not always connect the two, and the gap can look like disinterest from the outside.

I do not believe this means something is wrong with me. Busy, driven minds work differently. Still, I wish my wider circle understood how mine operates, as my immediate family does. I do not have a neat answer to this. I would rather say so than offer one I have not tested.

What I do on the run

The run is where I deal with this. I use the time to reflect and to remind myself how grateful I am. My intention is for this to carry into the room when I get back among people. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it does not. I will not pretend otherwise.

The lesson for me is that gratitude needs practice. Busy people fall into bad habits, and I am one of them. I stop noticing what I have because I am looking at what I need to finish. A scheduled reminder, even a short one on a morning run, pulls my attention back to what matters.

Perspective matters here too. Three generations of one family are together to mark a 75th birthday. Many families do not get weekends like this. The children I run for are a constant reminder of what time with family is worth.

Why the streak helps

The streak asks one thing of me each day. I turn up and I run, whatever state my head is in. Today my head was full of work, and I still ran. The run does not need a calm mind. Consistency over intensity is the principle behind 2133 consecutive days, and the same principle applies to gratitude. I do not need to feel perfectly present to practise being thankful. I need to practise daily.

The mission behind the miles

I run to complete 40,075km, a lap of the world, and to raise £1M for children's causes, including Great Ormond Street and BBC Children in Need. The distance is long and the timeline is long. Days like today are part of the work. Some runs are about pace. Some runs are about perspective.

If you struggle to switch off, or to show gratitude in the way others expect, you are not alone. Notice the gap between what you feel and what you show. Pick one moment each day to remind yourself what you are thankful for. Start small.

If you relate to any of this, watch the full episode and leave a comment. I read them and respond where I am able. If you believe in the mission, follow along, share the episode and help put the work in front of more people.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/jFZyOZq3ml8