Happy Thanksgiving Month!

Let's make November "Thanksgiving Month!"

Gratitude is a noble trait of humanity. I believe love, compassion, and gratitude are the Noble Triad of human emotions.  Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone were more loving, compassionate, and grateful? And not just on selected days, but every day, as a matter of habit? Why then would we channel all of our gratitude into one day, the fourth Thursday of the eleventh month?

Life is full of peaks and valleys--of randomness that sometimes rewards evil and punishes good. Life is not meant to be fair! It's meant to be lived. And in the living, through all the ups and downs and lucky breaks and injustices, even as we build and rebuild, we each have much for which to be grateful..

The interesting thing to me is that gratitude begets gratitude. The practice of being grateful for what I have pulls me out of longing for something I don't have. Gratitude also pushes me away from mourning what I have lost. I can dwell in the past or pine for the future, but I am happiest when I am enjoying the present. As I wrote recently, the cramp in my throttle hand tells me how much I love to ride my Harley. When I express gratitude for the good things in the here and now, my mind becomes more attuned to the goodness around.

In addition to this blog, I keep a journal. In fact, I recently dedicated Volume VIII. My new journal, is entitled, "The Book of Awesome: A Gratitude Journal." The basic premise is that life is good, and life is even better when we are grateful for the goodness. I believe that my attitude is an important factor in how I perceive reality. If that's true, then simply having a good attitude may be my most valuable possession. My current journal is about cultivating an "attitude of gratitude" with as much passion as I might use to cultivate a garden, or a professional skill, or an investment portfolio.

So, this November, let's develop the habit of being grateful--not just on Thanksgiving Day, but on every day in Thanksgiving Month!