How
to Make Every Day of the Year Thanksgiving
Gratitude
both reflects and creates happiness. It’s in our best interests to celebrate Thanksgiving
every day of the year. To mix my holiday metaphors a bit, my heroine Auntie
Mame sings in the musical version of her story, “We need a little Christmas,
right this very minute!” We need a lot of Thanksgiving, too.
We
think of gratitude as something we have—or don’t. Actually, gratitude is a form
of spiritual aerobics, more of an expansion of our heart muscle we gain by exercise.
Expressing thanks is not just for the purpose of creating and maintaining
abundance, but an appreciation workout that helps us to see the cornucopia we
live in constantly without let-up. Thanks-giving is not so much about finding
things to be grateful for. It’s about noticing and appreciating the lavish
opportunities life offers continuously, from the tiniest gifts to the most
grandiose blessings. Living from gratitude heightens the senses and makes life
itself more alive and vital. What’s not to love?
From
an astrological perspective, American Thanksgiving takes place in the month of
November when the Sun is in Sagittarius. Ruled by Jupiter, this Jovian holiday is
the epitome of overdo.
Let’s take home from our abundant Thanksgiving tables this wonderful leftover. Extend your appetite for feasts to a gluttony for gratitude.
If
you don’t already keep a gratitude journal, writing things you’re grateful for
at the end of every day, I suggest the easiest version of of that practice is
to make that daily review your falling-asleep prayer. The practice is so in
keeping with my favorite gratitude quote:
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. ~ Meister Eckhart
To
keep your enthusiasm for gratitude running high all year, I’m also including
some websites for you to explore:
This gem web page is a small but mighty time-release capsule
of gratitude. It contains, among other things, 9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude,
The Power of Paying a Compliment, and Gratitude Gismos.
365 Grateful – Stories about the
extraordinary power of gratitude. There are videos and information about the
original 365 Grateful Project.
These three sites are just an appetizer. To feast on more
gratitude offerings online, I suggest using the search string gratitude websites. You’ll be amazed at
how much support exists out there to enhance your practice of “awe-aerobics.”
That’s what Trudy the Bag Lady, a character played by Lily Tomlin in her
one-woman show on Broadway practiced. Check out the title of this amazing stage play by
Jane Wagner in this book version, Lily Tomlin: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Gratitude is intelligent life!
A Blessed Thanksgiving 24/7, 365 …
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