Being Thankful

As we're getting closer to Thanksgiving I've seen people post something they are thankful for every day.

A friend and I have been exchanging our daily moments of gratitude via text message.

And every night before I go to sleep I try to think of three good things that happened to me that day. Because our brains tend to focus on the negative. They are like Velcro for negative experiences and like Teflon for positive ones. The negatives stick, the positives slide right off. It's an evolutionary trait: The brain needs to be alert and respond to threats quickly. This was from a time when every living being had to fight every day just to survive. 

As humankind, we have evolved from that (for those of us who are fortunate enough to live in safety), but our brains have not. So we need to be intentional about focusing on the positive. That's why it's good to acknowledge three good things that happened on any given day, to balance out the negative.

This doesn't mean denying that bad things are happening in the world and possibly in our own lives. It just means we look at them with a different attitude: An attitude of gratitude. What's my opportunity here? What can I learn from this, how can I grow? Is God trying to tell me something that I need to hear? 

In ancient Christian tradition, November is also the time to remember those who have passed on, and to face our own mortality: This life is not forever. Nobody will be around forever. Not to sound morbid, but this always helps me put things in perspective: What is really important? Where do I want to invest my energies? What do I want to work for, and what can I possibly let go because in the grand scheme of things it just doesn't matter? Who are the people that I want to surround myself with, and who do I need to distance myself from?

Thanksgiving is a chance to take an honest look at our lives, and to focus on the good. On the blessings that God pours out on us every single day. Especially in times like these. Look for the good. Look for kindness and compassion, and you will find it. Thanks be to God!