Something to Be Thankful For

If you have heard me speak, or read my column, you know I teach gratitude practices. The American Happiness Association proclaims gratitude is the #1 Happiness Booster.

When you are feeling low, you can switch your energy by changing gears to thankfulness. Sometimes easier said than done. I had one gal who said after a rough day the only thing she could be thankful for was that the day was over.

That works.

It can take effort to switch over to gratitude. It also takes the same amount of energy to stay in the mopes. Little habits go a long way. Letting someone else spark your brain can prompt you to think of your own little gratitudes.

Some of mine today: I turn a knob on a box in my bedroom and music comes out of it. When was the last time you said thank you for the magic of radio?

Same goes for television. We take it for granted and we complain about having 500 channels with nothing good to watch. I rarely watch TV, but I am grateful for the childhood of Brady Bunch, Days of Our Lives, and Saturday Night Live. The quality of television is debatable, but for the technology, I am grateful.

That makes me think of shows that make me laugh. Thank you.

Soap operas. Oh, how I used to adore you! Did you watch Luke and Laura’s wedding? I skipped out of school early to see Laura toss her bouquet off the balcony and then the camera showed the surprise of it being caught by Scotty Baldwin. Thank you, soap opera writers, for the drama, suspense, classic cliffhangers and over the top romance.

I am grateful for the head massage they give at hair salons. I think I will pay for a shampoo and massage once a week because it feels so good.

I am grateful for mascara and eyeliner. If not for those products, my eyes would always look like I just woke up or just drank a bottle of booze out a brown paper bag.

I am grateful for Prince. Tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.

I am grateful for Paris. Driving in Paris made me realize I can do scary things and live to tell.

I am grateful for pizza. The college staple is still a comfort food, even though I have traded in sausage for mushroom, spinach and tomato.

Facebook. I find it odd, this world we live in where we communicate more virtually than face to face, and the thing that is part of our cultural fabric is a “facebook,” yet I love the connections it creates. Good things have come to me because of Facebook. I am grateful.

Google. I have written an entire column, many moons ago, on my love of Google. My love hasn’t faded.

Email. Dropbox. Internet in general. I couldn’t do what I do without you.

I am grateful for greeting cards. The pretty ones with the pretty words that sit on my desk from clients that make me happy on many levels.

Air conditioning. As we experience a heat wave in September, the modern joy of central air is worthy of an entire joy journal of pages dedicated to thanks of its comfort. Thank you, whoever invented this cooling device.

I am grateful for the birds that frequent our feeders. Such a variety. So much activity. Fun to watch.

Thankful for the rest of the critters here too. Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, turkeys, etc. As my son says, “Sure is a lot of nature here.” I like it.

Find something big, small, furry, feathered, silly, serious to be thankful for. If it doesn’t come easy, think of just one. Perhaps for you, it’s this column is done.

(Kelly Epperson is an author/speaker/coach. She teaches you how to write your book, she teaches you how to live with joy, she teaches you how to sky dive. Not really on that last one. Programs starting soon. www.kellyepperson.com)

Photo Credit: Flickr