Gratitude is the Attitude

I have a friend in Columbus whose Father was a very successful (retired) professional, living with the love of his life of 65 years in a very nice house with a more than adequate bank account. He was almost 100% blind. When she visited him one Sunday she found him sitting on his comfortable 35 year old couch. He stroked the cushion a bit and said, "I am so grateful for this couch." What?!? Someone giving thanks for a COUCH?? Coincidentally, my friend has always been one of the most grateful people I know. So, maybe the nut doesn't fall far from the tree in her case (Hmmm..she may not thank me for that reference). She not only writes thankyou notes at appropriate times, she will take the TIME (an invaluable commodity these days) to express gratitude face to face for some of the the smallest bits of perceived generosity or benevolence. I'm afraid she is in the minority in her expressions of gratitude. It seems most people are so wrapped up in their lives and busy schedules that the most common courtesy of thankfulness is long forgotten. Are we just spoiled and take things, events and people for granted?
I was raised that I started my day and ended my day with a prayer of thanks. And throughout the day, at least we gave thanks for our food before every meal. I was taught to write thank you notes. I have a friend who is so upset with her grandchildren for never acknowledging the $10.00 she sends in their birthday cards that she is threatening to cut them off forever! I wouldn't go that far because I don't give to get thanks...I love the opportunity. Having said that, it sure warms my heart when I'm appreciated. Who doesn't like that?

With 1440 minutes a day (86,400 seconds) at our disposal, how many minutes do we spend in gratitude? It takes 2 seconds to say thank you and 5 minutes to write a note!

Many psychiatrists believe that those who are depressed are so wrapped up in their own problems that they need a "pattern interrupt". So, they "prescribe" an action to move their focus to others. They ask the patient to write 3 thank you notes a day. These notes can be written to anyone living or dead...and they don't even need to be mailed! And it is important that the gratitude is written vs. verbal. In writing these notes, people not only are thinking of others, they are remembering the blessings that they do have.

My Mom always taught me to call people by their names as that was a sign of respect. So, I would hear her thank Ginny, at Krogers as we were having our groceries rung up ~ and Carol, her favorite Librarian and Jerry, the mailman, etc.
One time we were leaving a restaurant after having a nice dinner and she stopped the bus boy, asked his name (Don) and told him she had never seen anyone work so hard. I remember her telling him that someday all that good work ethic would pay off nicely for him. She thanked him and gave him $1.00. That kid beamed like he had just been give the medal of honor! We found out 25 years later that that same young man turned out to be Donald Trump.
(ok, that's a wee bit of a fib...but who knows?)

So, maybe for just one day, write to someone your real feelings about them....tell someone that you appreciate them...give someone a true compliment. Get out of yourselves and get into others.

William James said " The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated."

Margaret Cousins ~ "Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary."

Hey! Thanks for reading this! It made my day!