The Thankful List

Out of all the social issues in the world, why thankfulness? I mean afterall, most people I have talked to about this think:

a) it is just a manner learned to live in a polite society

b) a value only important during Thanksgiving

c) has some value but not that important compared to other issues

But, it is so much more than that. I believe being thankful for the simple joys in everyday life, such as a smile from a stranger or a little extra whipped cream on a hot chocolate, can improve one’s life by leaps and bounds. By concentrating on the things, skills, and personal gifts we have we can cultivate them and ultimately see how many enriching things and people are in our lives. It’s amazing how much we have to be thankful for that gets over looked everyday. 

I know thankfulness is important because in a way it saved my life. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t going to die or anything but I was in a dark place. A lot of bad things happened to loved ones in my life and myself that made me cynical and callous. By the end of my sophomore year of college I was a vapid person (sounds harsh but, it is true).  The concept of looking for the simple joys in my life and being thankful came randomly, I was in a really bad mood and decided I would make a list of all the things in my life I had to be thankful for (this was half sarcastic as I thought the list would have 5 or 6 items) I soon discovered I had put over 100 people, things, and skills I was thankful for. This was where I turned around. Each week I made a new one and each week there were one or two new things to be thankful for. It inspired me to look for the good. 

Since my first list, there have been many others and each has given me a new outlook and perspective. I have grown so much from the person I was when I made my first list. I choose to see the good and the blessings in my life. I still have bad days, everyone does, but the reassurance I have that I have so much to be thankful for in my life gets me through them. 

This is why I celebrate thankfulness, what are YOU thankful for?