11/21/2011
I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful to be a part of your life this moment. Gratitude brings a sense of happiness, which science can now document.
When things are difficult, painful, sad, or lonely, being grateful can be a challenge. I think that there is sometimes an expectation that gratitude is only about the big and important things that bless our lives, but there are no BIG THINGS, really, rather many little things that come together. It is like a house, which is made up of sticks of wood, bricks mounted on bricks, nails and screws, shingles, and panes of glass. Each component is vital to the house being able to stand up to sun, wind, and rain. We can be grateful for the house, even if it is not perfect, including the nails and the hands that drove the nails into the wood.
Likewise, there are countless small things in our lives that define the quality of our existence, most of which we take for granted. Looking around you now, can you find within your immediate view things that make your life livable, good, safe, or even happy? Beyond the tangible items around you, are there things that bring quality or comfort to your life? For instance, being able to see and to read, the benefit of electricity, a place to live...
I am curious. What small things can you find for which you are grateful? I hope you find many, and, with the gratitudes, happiness.