Giving Thanks

Please tune in to watch my interview on A2 Insight with Jim Trost on the following days/times:
Wednesday, 11/21 at 8:00pm; Sunday, 11/25 at 8:00pm; Monday, 11/26 at 5:00pm; Wednesday, 11/28 at 11:10am; Friday, 11/30 at 2:00pm; Saturday, 12/1 at Noon; and Tuesday, 12/4 at 7:00pm; all on cable channel 17.

In these days of discord, something we all can agree about is that we benefit this week from pausing and thinking about what we are grateful for in our lives. Rather than waiting for the week of Thanksgiving, I try to do this on a weekly basis. Personally, in a small notebook, I’ve been tracking my daily abundances for over 30 years. Others record their gratitudes. Millions of people pray and give thanks every day.

Whatever your preferred method, I encourage you to pause for a moment each day to consider for what you are thankful. Research consistently finds that a gratitude practice is good for the body mind and soul. It’s a wonderful remedy to the constant bombardment about the awful things that are happening in the world and the toxic people who are doing destructive things.

I believe we are responsible for programming your own brains. If we feed ourselves constant negativity, we are likely to spew out negativity toward others. To the extent that we are capable of exerting some sense of will power to program our minds toward positivity, we are more likely to give back warmth, compassion and goodness to those fellow sufferers we meet along the path called life.

I’d be interested to know what you are grateful for this year. Here are some of the things that I’ve been grateful for over the past year:

Noticing the beauty of trees swaying in the summer breeze
Appreciating how the first snowfall outlines every branch on the trees
Remembering the moments someone reached out a hand to help me over rough terrain
Appreciating the people who could see beyond my cheerful smile
Reconnecting with old friends
Making new friends
Gator, the dog, greeting me at the door.
Reading a beautifully written novel which speaks exactly to me with what I need at that exact moment
Discussing the novel with new friends in a book club
Traveling with cousins with whom I’ve bonded in adulthood
Watching my team winning at the last minute.
Creating a playlist of my favorites: the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, the Temptations
Hearing Audra McDowell fill up Hill Auditorium with her magical voice
Discovering new music: thank you, Chance the Rapper
Getting to know 45 University of Michigan students over the course of 13 weeks
Seeing the bond of those 45 students, who represent multiple diverse lines but are at their core similar in what they celebrate, what they are concerned about, and what they are trying to create
Seeing sick friends making progress
Living in the best country in the world, and having the opportunity to make it even better by exercising my right to vote
Learning to apologize
Learning to hold my tongue so I don’t have to have to apologize (especially at Thanksgiving family gatherings)
Appreciating those who share their pain…and their play lists with me
Teaching grandchildren to play with hot wheels, and having a scavenger hunt on the streets of Queens
Experiencing the soft, cool touch of new sheets
Living in Ann Arbor, the city I love
Sharing coffee with friends at Morgan & York, Argus Farm Stop, Zingermans Coffee
Watching the sun set on a lake
Enjoying the smile on a clerk’s face when i share a complement
Enjoying the stories people tell about themselves