Halloween is on clearance, and Christmas items are already for sale. I read “Joy to the World” the other day. It was part of an advertisement. Everybody wants joy, right? And it ‘tis the season… A treasured friend recently gifted to me “The Book of Joy.” In it, the Dalai Lama (the spiritual leader of Tibet), and Desmond Tutu (the Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church of South Africa), working together, proposed there are three basic pillars of joy: 1. The ability to reframe difficult situations so that we can see opportunity for growth during challenging times, 2. The ability to experience gratitude and 3. The choice to be kind and generous, as a way of living (The Book of Joy, 2018). Two of these three ‘pillars’ are very easily coachable. Frankly, behaving in a kind and generous way is something so easy to train, we are able to teach it to our children (and I hope we’re doing that). How do we train for gratitude, though? Begin by giving thanks. Say “thank you,” on a daily basis (without sarcasm). Say it to your family members, your employees, your classmates and to strangers, when the opportunity presents itself. It’s a simple exercise, but the easiest place to start. Next, every time you begin to think of what you don’t have or what you want, but can’t afford, focus on what you DO have. Count every single item that makes your life more comfortable than the starving or homeless people who also live on this planet. It might initially seem forced or unnatural, but you’ll get better with practice. Also, with practice, you’ll find you can even learn to reframe situations in your mind so that difficult times no longer bring you misery. You can develop the ability to see challenges as opportunities for positive growth and development. Writing thank-you notes for your eyes only, can help you develop this skill. Do this in a journal, so you can reflect on your progress, over time. You may begin by chronicling your difficulties, then, add to your entry. Write what you might possibly learn from your challenge. Write what you’re grateful for, in the midst of the challenge. Again, as you practice, you’ll become more and more skilled. Eventually, your thoughts will change before the writing exercise. Thoughts create feelings. Gratitude is born of the way we think. It takes time for any training program to produce results. Be patient. Improving Thanksgiving is a matter of health. It’s wise for us all to focus on learning to cultivate and practice maintaining an attitude of gratitude throughout the year. Thanksgiving makes for happy and it can’t be bought. Always be thankful. Be well

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Handprint on My Heart

A treasured friend told me today that I’ve left my handprint upon her heart (she quoted a line from a song she heard on the way to SWEAT with me, and said it spoke to her of me). Of course, I felt a welling of emotion. She’s left her handprint upon mine, too. That’s what we do in this life, isn’t it (if we do it right)? We leave our marks upon each other, upon the rising generation, upon the land, upon whatever it may be that will remember us when we’re gone… As I write, I’m sitting in the room with my mother-in-law, as her breathing grows increasingly shallow by the hour and her feeble heart grows tired of beating. Her body is aged and failing. She’s lived a long and wonderful life. Not only did she bring six boys and a daughter into this world, but she raised them in the hills, on a farm, in a little two-room cabin, with no modern utilities. She raised happy children and happy grandchildren who were, and ever will be honored to call her mother. She did it right. This fine lady has le...
Read more

Life Cycles

Like the cycles of freedom and bondage experienced ages before Polybius wrote his theories of benign and malignant governments, we continue to cycle today, even thousands of years later. Generations, societies, governments and the governed cycle. Even the earth cycles as it spins through day and night, revolving through seasons and years over millennia and eons of time. Cycles are a theme of living things; growth and decline. We struggle for growth and cycle through periods of accomplishment and strength then ease and weakness. Time spent at ease leads to weakness; a very natural part of the living cycle. This is true for the body, both physical and metaphysical. Among my close friends, I would say this is true for both the body and the spirit. The phenomenon manifests in societies of all sizes, from that of the United States to those the size of the average American family. Around and around we go from weak to strong to weak; from poor to rich to poor. Generation after generation; hum...
Read more

Aging Brings Changes

I appreciate the outpouring of concern over my pain-in-the-neck. The MRI results are in and is seems there are some small missing pieces of bone, some missing cartilage, a couple of bones sitting crooked and some discs in an unhealthy condition. The resulting chronic headache, neck and shoulder pain, and numbness in my arm and hand are limiting my mobility and affecting my life. I plan to meet with a neurosurgeon, hopefully sometime sooner rather than later. I’m not getting any younger, after all. Like all of us, I’m getting older. We all know what that means. Aging can and does bring countless changes. Chronic conditions related to aging are sometimes inevitable. According to the National Council on Aging, the top five chronic conditions affecting older people, beginning with the most prevalent, are: high blood pressure (almost 2/3 of the 65+ population), high cholesterol (almost ½), arthritis (about 1/3), heart disease (about 1/3), and diabetes (more than ¼). There are other conditio...
Read more