Brad Meltzer alerted me to the fact that today is World Gratitude Day. Started in 1965, the day was created to celebrate globalism and gratitude because the world needed a unifying holiday.
Participants in World Gratitude Day are encouraged to hold a Gratitude Gathering of their choosing, in which each guest gives thanks in whatever way is appropriate for them. The essential part is that the emotion of gratitude be globally shared.
In that spirit, I'm holding a Gratitude Gathering on Little Merry Sunshine and anyone reading LMS today (or any day) will be part of the gathering. Please feel free to share your gratitude list in the comments or you can choose to privately reflect on all that you are thankful for today.
However you choose to celebrate, I encourage you to carry gratitude into every encounter you have today. If you're stuck in traffic and normally that would bubble up as frustration, choose instead to take the opportunity to breath deeply and be grateful for a few minutes of relaxation. If the kids are arguing over who gets to play with a certain toy, rather than yelling at them, thank them for teaching themselves the art of negotiation. If your boss is being unreasonable, be grateful you still have a job in this economy. In Chicago, this last day of Summer has brought us simply beautiful weather. Walk around the block, listening for the chirping birds and be grateful for still being in shorts and a t-shirt.
Interested in what celebrities are grateful for? Check out The Gratitude List and follow them on Twitter.
My Gratitude List - September 21, 2010 (in no particular order)
1. The warm breeze blowing through all my windows as I type this.
2. My family and friends (who I affectionately refer to as the family I chose - if you read LMS you're part of my "family").
3. Finding home.
4. The tomatoes I picked from my vegetable garden this morning.
5. The beautiful flowers still filling my flower garden just outside my living room door.
6. That I remembered to pay the water bill this morning before it became late.
7. That I coincidentally was attending the Village Board Meeting last night on the same night one of my good friends was being recognized as a Workforce Development Scholarship winner. I had no idea until I walked in the door and saw her standing there. I couldn't be prouder of her and her accomplishment.
8. The last two weeks I have had with my mom. They have been two really good weeks. I'll be a little sad on Thursday.
9. That Betsey and Ross are pretty healthy and still good companions.
I'll probably think of more things I'm grateful for as the day goes on and I'll be back to update the list. What are you grateful for today?
What a truly great post! It's so important to remember what we're thankful for, and take the positive approach to life and to our attitudes and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMe personally, I'm extremely grateful for my family and close friends.
Thanks for reminding me and others of this important fact...it's too easy to forget to be thankful for what we have, instead of stressing about what we don't.