To Be Thankful

There is so much to be thankful for. Wind. Rain. Soap. Tea. The list is quite literally endless. Or so it should be. In the darkest days, in the fullest days, in the days that test our capacity to be civil, in every moment there is something to be thankful for.

A happy life, a life that supports and nurtures us, is dependent upon our ability to notice and acknowledge the plethora of gifts we receive. A happy life requires thank yous for the unsung, often dismissed miracles of everyday living. Hot water for showers, electricity for cooking and lighting and blogging, mittens without holes and mittens that served us long enough to manifest holes, lettuce and beans and granny smith apples that somehow appear on market shelves and wait patiently to be purchased, cars that start, friends who support us. A thought or a soft whisper of "thank you" for each of these things and the million more that enfold our days will change the course of our lives. Always for the better.

It is not a matter of rolling our eyes and sighing, " I suppose I ought to be thankful for this shoelace that did not break while tying it", it is a matter of truly feeling grateful, in our guts, for the gifts of each moment. There is no fakery in thankfulness. We mean it or it doesn't count. Period.

And the test? The true test to ensure our continued happy lives? Muster up gratitude in the midst of grief, hard times, empty wallets, hurt feelings, misunderstandings that ruin relationships, floods, illness and general crap that gets under our skin. In all adversity lies golden opportunity and bounty waiting to be uncrusted. A sincere thank you, a thank you with the knowledge behind it that the mess we are in is meant to reveal our most beautiful essences, will shorten the duration of any hell. A sincere thank you unlocks and reveals the reasons for the messy seasons.

But, trust me, we need to start being thankful for the hot water and the mittens before we can move on to sincerely appreciating our hellish messes. We need to practice being thankful for the ordinary miracles. The more we find to be thankful for, the more buoyant our spirits will become. Let's change the course of our lives. Get happy. Say thank you.