Thanksgiving

Well, it’s Thanksgiving again and many are looking forward to eating turkey and dressing and to being with family.  Some others will look forward to bonus football on Thursday – something that Detroit Lions fans and Dallas Cowboys fans do on the fourth Thursday of every year.

Many families have the tradition of going around the table and saying what they are thankful for before they eat.  I personally believe that this is always a good practice before you eat, not just on Thanksgiving.  Just remembering how many were involved for you to have the food in front of you and being grateful you have enough to eat each day is a wonderful practice.

But consider whether a daily practice of being thankful—not just before meals—but at other times of the day might benefit you.  In fact, research has shown that practicing gratitude is associated with greater happiness. And don’t we all want to be happier?

A couple of days ago my son, who plays online games with lots of people who live all over the world, came to me and announced that it was cold in Germany, to which I replied, “It’s cold here.”  Then he said, “Yeah, but they don’t have heat.”  Then I flashed back to when we lost heat for a few days last year and it was so cold.

Turns out that the German government has approved energy-saving measures this winter that will limit heating and lighting in public buildings.  But this might not be sufficient for people to have enough energy to heat their homes. You see, Germany depends on Russia for a third of its natural gas, but due to Germany’s support of the Ukraine in the current war, Russian could turn off the gas at any time.  Also, the price not just for energy but also for food is skyrocketing.  In fact, the price for energy is four times higher than it was just a year ago.

Given this information, I realized how fortunate I am that I am not in this circumstance.  I have so much and am so blessed.  Every day there are so many things to be thankful for: I have a job I like; I have a wonderful family; I have loving friends.  The list goes on and on.

Turns out that being grateful benefits people in many ways: it helps people have more positive feelings, enjoy good experiences, deal with problems more effectively, build stronger relationships, and be healthier.

There are gratitude calendars that are good.  Also, you can start a gratitude jar or journal by writing down one thing you are grateful for every day.  Remembering that you are truly blessed every day will improve your life and is definitely worth doing.

Joke:  Every Thanksgiving I’m thankful that I decided to wait until New Years to start my diet.

Quote:  “Gratitude is like a magnet: the more grateful you are, the more you will receive to be grateful for.”  – Iyania Vanzant

Advice:  Remind yourself daily of why you have a good life, and you will be much less likely to be depressed.