Gratitude

At Thanksgiving time, I always like to think about all of the ways in which I feel grateful. The word gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia which means “grace, graciousness or gratefulness.” Positive psychology research shows us that having a practice of gratitude usually increases happiness in your life.

Several years ago, I began a practice of gratitude each morning where I think about the many things for which I am grateful. The list always includes my family, loved ones, those with whom I work, my home, my health, my fantastic job, and the amazing open spaces we have in Marin.

A few years ago, my heater broke for ten days during a cold spell in the winter. A friend kindly brought me a space heater and gave me needed advice. Since that time, I have always had my furnace and air conditioning on my gratitude list. Around the same time, one of the walls in my home dissolved due to torrential rain, and walls were added to the list! At my new home, I quickly realized that the stairs were dangerous and I had to replace them…and now every day I think about how lucky I am to have strong, safe stairs. There are so many things that we take for granted for which to be grateful!

Another part of my practice of gratitude is to thank people for things they have done, even if they have not done them for me personally. I even do this silently if, for example, someone allows me to change lanes on the highway. I think of it as spreading good energy to others, and actually also find that it makes me feel really good as well.

My daughter gave me a gift many years ago that I have on my desk. It is a sign that she made in Fab Lab at school that has irises on it. It says “Every experience is either a blessing or a blessing in disguise.” And that is how I look at the world.