I’ve gotten into the habit of writing down at least five things I’m grateful for at the end of each day. Why? Because it gets me in touch with all the things in my life that I appreciate from my clients and co-workers to my family and having a job I love. From having a safe place to live to being able to walk to my local pharmacy or market when I need to pick something up. Sometimes it’s big things I appreciate, other times they’re very mundane – seeing the sun come out after a rainy morning, a stranger lending me quarter right before the metermaid gives me a ticket or uncovering a favorite pair of boots that were buried in the depths of my closet.  All those little things, big and small, add up to an “attitude of gratitude.”

When Thanksgiving rolls around, it’s an opportunity to think about how much I have to be grateful for and remember that many people, right in my own community, are suffering. Be it hunger, homelessness, domestic violence or another issue, far too many people don’t have enough resources to meet their basic needs. So I’m not only reflecting on what I have, but taking a moment to make a contribution to my favorite local charitable organizations and lend my time and energy to the issues that mean the most to me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about your own attitude of gratitude. What are you most grateful for and what do you do to reflect on it?

Filed under: Gratitude, Inspiration, Soul and Spirit