How to be thankful seems easy enough. You list the obvious: food, clothing and shelter, and then with a little thought, you can go on and compile a lengthy list. WE CAN ALL be purposeful in growing our list of things for which we are grateful. It’s one of a few exercises to yield immediate results.
I don’t take time to “count my blessings” often enough. I found the exercise humbling and very settling. It kept me centered on today and helped me forget disappointments from the past or worries for tomorrow. Most of all, it helped me be grateful for this very moment; to be able to witness the miracle of life. It’s funny, but sometimes I have to make myself stop to take stock, or else I wouldn’t give it a second thought.
Psychologists say it’s healthy to be mindful of blessings: Relationships, jobs, family, community and your health. From there, you’re to break it down.
As a publisher, I’m grateful people still want the news of their community and are willing to support the business. I’m grateful for advertisers who use the newspaper to promote their products. I’m grateful for the technology that allows us to produce a paper and an online product and for the expertise of those who provide us the know-how to make it all happen. Bigger yet, I’m glad we live in a country that permits freedom of the press.
When I first met Brian, my husband, we took long walks in our getting-to-know-you stage. On those hot, summer nights he would thank God for such things as air-conditioning and fans, which I thought was rather naïve. After all, I thought, God had nothing to do with making electronic devices.
In his infinite wisdom, he kept quiet to my wisecracks. And in my delayed maturity, I better understand that he was simply being thankful for all the miracles of life, including the genius of mechanical engineers.
At the end of the day, it’s good to recall things that brought a smile. A good job inherently brings lots of smiles mainly because you’re around others and have a joint purpose of being productive. Right there you’ve conquered two enemies of the troubled: Having a purpose and being a part of a community.
I also believe in being purposefully happy. By that I mean doing activities I know will yield happy results.
Tonight, I’ll be going to “A Christmas Carol” at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center because I know it will be a first-class production of a heart-warming story and I’ll see friends and acquaintances scattered about the audience.
Sunday, I’ll play bells in our bell choir at church. Music and worship make me feel good.
— Susan Lynn
Being thankful an introspective exercise
