Attitude of Gratitude

I can't take credit for the title of this post, which I'm sure most of you know; I'm sure many of you have heard the term before.  It's an excellent term, and I fully admit I have no idea who originally coined it, which is sad; someone should be getting credit for that.  The point of the post, though, is the idea conveyed by the term, so allow us to proceed in our perusal of that topic...

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, a holiday with a not-wholly-spotless past on which we theoretically give thanks for all the blessings in our lives, but usually during which people eat a whole lot of food, possibly watch parades and/or football (here in Texas, I think the football's mandatory), and apparently sometimes get drunk and fight with family members.  It often seems to end with pretty much everyone snoozing on the couch or washing up in the kitchen--usually the same people who've been cooking all week; enjoy your reward, ladies!--and pie.  We can't forget the pie; it's the best part.  For a day named for giving thanks, though, there's not a lot of focus on thanks-giving.  At least not in general, as far as I can tell; I'm sure some folks give the concept more than a passing nod.

Don't get me wrong.  I think giving thanks is an excellent idea.  I also think, however, it would be beneficial to focus on it more often than once a year.  And maybe to adopt some holiday traditions that connect more with the idea of giving thanks and less with the idea of stuffing as much food into one's face as humanly possible.  But let's keep the pie.

I gotta admit; I tend to be something of a pessimist.  But we see what we look at.  There's a world of difference in my outlook and in my life when I focus on counting my blessings and on being grateful for my life being full-of-great instead of fretting about what's wrong, or worse, what might go wrong. 

The fact is, most of us are showered in blessings; most of us have an endless stream of things for which to be grateful.  The things we worry about, the problems and less-than-greats are--for most of us--pretty darn minor.  But many of us take those abundant blessings for granted.  How often, when you're complaining about taxes or waiting in line or your electric bill, do you stop to think how great it is that you can walk or see or hear, if you can?  Do you think about what your life might be like if you were homeless or friendless or schizophrenic, if you're not?  Have you thought about what it would be like to live in a place where there's oppression or genocide or constant warfare, if you don't?  Most of us don't really realize how good we have it until we stop to think about it, until we stop to think about what life could be like. 

So today, on Thanksgiving, really dig in.  And not just into the food.  When you go to count your blessings, really dig in and make a list that reflects how blessed you truly are.  Then pile up a heaping serving of gratitude, and enjoy.  Not just today, but every day.