There are times when the whole country pauses to give
thanks for all we have. We give thanks for our family, friends and co-workers.
We give thanks for our health and happiness. Even if we are discouraged or
depressed, we can find something to be thankful for.
This year go out of your way to find things to be
thankful for. The Windham Food Pantry, St. Ann’s Essentials Pantry, Pineland
Farms for their cheese curds, and parents who go out of their way to help you
succeed. These are all things we can be thankful for.
With Thanksgiving coming, we try to focus on these
things. Sometimes that’s what it takes, focus. It’s easy to complain about a
test grade, a long work day, or a backstabbing ex-friend. Recently, I was
reading a magazine article about a gratitude journal. They’ve been mainstream
since Oprah introduced them years ago. I did one back then, it was hard not to
duplicate things I was grateful for. The first week was easy. I named everyone
in my family, good attitudes, work jobs, then it got harder. “I’m thankful for
indoor plumbing.” (I’m not sure that’s what Oprah had in mind, but if you’ve
been camping…you know what I mean.)
What can you be grateful for this year? I challenge
everyone to find a place to jot down things you’re grateful for - things that
make you happy and content with your life. Even if you feel that you were given
the raw end of the stick, there should be something you’re thankful for like
shoes, a hat, people who are willing to share what they have. Each day write
down three things. Keep the list going until Thanksgiving. Then on
Thanksgiving, go back through what you have written. You don’t have to share
what you wrote unless you want to.
With that much positive energy, it can’t help but creep
into other parts of your life. What if you smiled at the veteran at Hannaford
or held the door for a woman loaded with packages at the town hall? Create
gratitude and pass that good feeling on to your fellow man.
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