| We are in the time of gratitude and thank goodness for that. |
“Count your blessings” is an age-old bromide, the stuff of Hallmark greeting cards, and sometimes a hard sell, especially when things aren’t going so great. Our mixed grill of our peculiar character defects, our lapsed cerebral muscles, the quickening of melting ice caps, how thin our hair seems to be getting, and our frustration of running out of single-origin Norwegian coffee beans. To be clear, and I may be preaching to the choir, but practicing gratitude is something we all know is good for us, but probably is also something we seldom do enough. Just like we thought adulthood would be so chill and fun. According to imminent researchers, it was found that people who are consistently grateful are relatively happier, a tad more energetic, and report to experience a compelling desire to host Thanksgiving dinner for the seventh year in a row. Thus at the request of my thousands of fans (or at least the couple I manoeuvred into answering “Yes, please.” after I promised them a substantial gift certificate to the still Canadian-owned Second Cup), I have put together a comprehensive list to reflect on while sitting around the Thanksgiving table with your Russian roulette of strange cousins who you haven’t seen since you were six, an aunt who has an unique way of expressing herself sartorially, and your recently divorced uncle’s new girlfriend. Remember, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be a holiday meal without a little emotional scarring. And I mean this in the nicest possible way. Teach yourself to let go of the big things by learning to let go of the little ones. Walk through your home and put your hand on every single thing you own. How many make you sincerely feel happy or at peace? Why do you keep the rest? Or hoarding clothes for that “someday” that will never come? Make time for the friends you have more than seek out the ones you don’t, appreciating how rare and beautiful it is to even just have one close friend in life. Not everybody is so lucky. Learn to love things that don’t cost much. Walks. Naps. Simple foods. Chatting with a neighbour. Noticing a tree had gotten tall. The smell of freshly baked bread. Wearing your favourite sweater. The sun surging through your window. Eating cookie dough. A Dad joke. Perspective writ large. Do a “spent cleanse” where you only use what you have for a definitive period. Teach yourself the art of denying immediate gratification. Show yourself that you already have everything you need, or at least more than you think you do, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Call your mom. Not everybody has the privilege. Focus on what your body can do more than what it looks like while doing it. Pick up where you left off. Finish the unread books on your bedside table. Revisit old projects — the half-knitted sweater, donating the scarves you never wear, the abandoned canvas, the broken gate…Actions are results. Don’t feel your need to have an impeccable home before having them over. Let people into your life in a true enough way. Let good enough be good enough. Appreciate something in your life that you previously would have believed impossible. And tell your own story. This is the most important thing we can do for each other — to know each other through stories. Happy Gratitude Weekend! |
Gratitude
October 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment
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