The holidays are upon us! Take time to be grateful.
For most of us, this time of year is filled with parties and family get-togethers! This is not the case for everyone.
This year has been particularly difficult for many of us. Almost everyone knows someone who has been touched by some kind of tragedy this year. If we have been fortunate enough to not have had first hand experiences, we’ve witnessed our friends, relatives and neighbors endure hurricanes, flooding and wildfires. These kinds of tragedies don’t hit “close to home,” they hit our actual homes.
Why not start a new tradition this year? Before Thanksgiving day arrives with all its rushing and preparing. Before everyone is seated at the table ready to fill themselves on a marvelous feast. Take a quiet moment all to yourself. Consider everything that “Home” means to you. A roof over your head, shelter from the storms of life and the weather, perhaps where you and your family live and laugh, and lets face it sometimes argue, the place you are able to put on your sweatpants and be the most comfortable – everything that word might conjure up for you. Then in your quiet moment, be genuinely grateful for all of it. This year, instead of focusing on the things we want to acquire, lets try to celebrate all that we already have.
It’s not just for the holidays anymore!
This kind of moment might come more naturally to us at the holidays, but it doesn’t have to stop there! Try taking a quiet moment to yourself for gratitude in the February. The more comfortable you get taking these moments, the more creative you can get about the timing of them. Try one when you’re spring cleaning – take yourself a little moment to recognize that while cleaning the gutters is a pain, they are your gutters on your home… That you are grateful to have, because of all the reasons you thought of in that first quiet moment near the holidays.
Fair warning! Quiet moments of gratitude can be habit forming.