Remember when gratitude journals were all the rage? If you just think of 3 things you’re grateful for every day, you’ll notice the change in your life. I think the idea was to train yourself to see the positives (I wrote about this in Glimmers).
I tried this practice for a while, but no amount of “I’m grateful for the taste of my morning coffee,” made up for the stress of racing to the hospital wondering if my dad would make it (he did).
This weekend is Thanksgiving. In Canada, this holiday comes with a little less weight than it does in the US. We don’t have a big origin story behind the holiday. We are flexible about where and when we eat – Swiss Chalet will do in a pinch, and it doesn’t matter what day you meet with people. There’s no Black Friday afterwards, and only the most organized of us have started shopping for Christmas this early. This year there’s baseball to watch, but typically we just take the day and see people who are important to us.
One thing we do generally is go around the table and say something we are thankful for. This can be tricky for people, and I get that. I hate to be put on the spot with my gratitude. My mind defaults to “the pleasure of everyone’s company,” in a pinch.
But, expressing what you’re thankful for is actually kind of a lovely exercise. So here’s my (non-comprehensive) list for this year, in case the waitstaff at Swiss Chalet enquires:
My top two
My smutty community
Friends who tell me the truth when I need to hear it
The sound of my dog snoring in the morning
The kindness of most people in real life when it seems like online people are awful
Days when I step away from my phone
The big trees in my backyard, which provide shelter for birds and squirrels and chipmunks
The way I feel when I’ve written a good sentence
The inside jokes I have with people who know me
The health of my family members
My home, which reflects me in a way none of my homes ever have before
My work, which can be fulfilling and heartbreaking and hilarious
My health insurance, which allows me to access therapy and other benefits
People like you, who read what I write and listen to what I record
It’s interesting to note that “thankful” means pleased and relieved. When I was compiling my list in my head, I was thinking of all of the things I am relieved to find I have: food, shelter, employment, love, family, freedom. I know I am privileged.
May you find yourself pleased and relieved about something in your life, today and always.
Pretty Lynne Writes 
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