Practicing the Attitude of Gratitude
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Every year families from around the country gather and break bread to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Lately, this day has been pushed aside in favor of the all too commercialized and overly materialistic Christmas season. How many people consciously bypass this day of gratitude in favor of sitting in line (since Wednesday at their local Best Buy) to buy the newest version of a smartphone or video game?
When the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Colony way back in 1620, they had already endured many months of hardship aboard the Mayflower, with several losing their lives during the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. I pondered what they may have been grateful for on that very first meal (which according to my retired teacher wife, occured one year later) they gave thanks:
· Landing in the new world that would later become America.
· The Native Americans showed them how to survive and live off of what Mother Nature provided in the primarily untouched new region (a vital piece to our history).
· Being alive to eat that meal.
Given all this, what can we do to bring back the attitude of gratitude at Thanksgiving? In her article How to Practice Gratitude, Sonja Lyubomirsky offers several strategies in this regard:
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Start a Gratitude Journal
· Set aside a few minutes (varying the time of day) to reflect and write.
· Pick 3-5 things you are grateful for (I had a good day at work, public works plowed the snow, the flat tire was changed, etc.).
· Then pick 3-5 extraordinary things (child's first words, the first time you told someone you loved them or I do, an incredible sunrise or sunset).
· Do this at a frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) that best speaks to you.
Vary Your Routine
· ·When counting your blessings, vary when and how you do it. Please don't make it a routine-make it something special.
· If you are not a writer, sit and contemplate things that bring gratitude into your life and give thanks.
· Share a favorite restaurant, park, or scenic drive with others, and re-live what they see/comment on as if it were your first time.
Give Thanks to Another
· By phone, letter, email, text, etc. However, it is more effective and personal when face-to-face.
· Thank them for something they did (in some small way) to make your world brighter (2022).
These are a few examples of how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude that can make this world a better place to live. The holidays can become chaotic, and when this happens - inhale peace and balance; exhale that which no longer serves you.
Happy Thanksgiving and Namaste,
Tim
References
How to Practice Gratitude. Gratefulness.org. Retrieved from http://www.gratefulness.org/resource/how-to-practice-gratitude/ on 11/20/2022.