Not just in November…

We often need the reminder that gratitude is an attitude we carry with us throughout each day, not just in the few minutes we spend noting items in a gratitude journal and not just one day in November!

I’d like to suggest a few simple techniques to spread gratitude around as we enjoy each day. These techniques can create powerful human bonds and benefit both the receivers and the givers:

• Learn the names of folks as we interact, and remember and USE their names,
• Say “please” and “thank you” and tell them what we appreciate in them, and
• Easiest of all…smile!

If you ever wake in the middle of the night with worries or to-do lists swirling in your mind like I do, I’ve also got a suggestion rhat I’ve used to elevate my thoughts and get back to sleep. (As you know, I’ve previously been an English teacher, owned a bookstore, and LOVE words!)

I review in my mind the “ABCs of Gratitude.”

Beginning with the letter A, I list things I appreciate such as awareness, air, and animals.

Then I move through the remaining letters, especially noting the wonderful people in my life. Rarely do I make it all the way to Z, like zippers, zebras, zoos, without falling asleep.

And the best part is that I’ve replaced the worries or to-do list fthat had been on center stage in my mind.

Here’s an affirmation you can use!

“I give thanks for the gift of health and for the intelligence moving through my body that knows how to sustain it. I am grateful for all the people who have been drawn to me to love and for the blessings that come from loving each one. I give thanks for all the good I have received thus far and for the good that’s on its way to me. I am grateful for the peace in my heart and the calm knowing that all is well.”

Gratitude can put a smile on our faces!

So…what are you most grateful for?

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