It’s that time of the year—the holidays. With Halloween over, the holiday preparations are in full swing. Going into a store yesterday, on Halloween day, I could not believe that they were already putting up the Christmas decorations! Wait, can’t we finish celebrating Halloween first before we think about the other holidays? Later this month, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day, a time when we get together with family and friends and “give thanks.” Although this is something that should be done “year-round,” it’s unfortunate that for most, thinking about what we are grateful for seems only to occur around this time.
Using this time as a starting point, how about creating a “ritual” of sorts. No, I’m not getting “spiritual” or “new-agey,” just giving you an opportunity to really think about what you have (vs. not have) and to appreciate it. So, my challenge to you is this: Before you go to bed tonight, think of three (yes, only three) things you are grateful for. If you are married/in a relationship and/or have children, you may want to do this together. Each person comes up with three things they are grateful for and shares it with the other(s). The “things” don’t have to be anything “big.” For example, my “lists” have included 1) my children (as much as they can be a “hand-full” at times), 2) a beautiful day (it could be stormy), 3) my computer booting up when I needed it to (sometimes it’ll freeze up or take forever-and-a-day to do this), 4) a motorist kind enough to let me into merging traffic (rather than cutting me off), etc. Think about what’s around you or the day-to-day events that you may take for granted.
By listing what you are grateful for, especially at the end of the day, you go to bed on a positive-note and you get a sense that, perhaps what you have is indeed A LOT. For those of you with children, you’ll give them a sense of appreciation for what they have around them.
So, what are you grateful for?
Problems to Possibilities 