I admit it: I can’t top my 2012 Thanksgiving post.
Reading it today, I was struck by how grateful I felt just to be alive. And please don’t get me wrong — I still am! Insignificant as I may be, I still regard my very existence as a miracle.
And yet … sometimes, as I sit in traffic or wait in line at the grocery store, I forget. Daily routines have a way of doing that; of making life seem routine and making us take even the extraordinary things for granted. Things like walking and seeing and being alive.
As I pondered my many blessings this morning, I stumbled across an explanation:
We adapt to positive events quickly, especially if we constantly focus on them. … It seems counterintuitive, but it is how the mind works.”
In other words, “it’s easy to get numb to the regular sources of goodness in our lives.”
Fortunately, there’s an antidote — a way to keep our sense of wonder and gratitude for the blessings in our lives. And it’s simple: All you have to do is occasionally write them down.
What’s more,
Studies have traced a range of impressive benefits to the simple act of writing down the things for which we’re grateful — benefits including better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness, and more happiness among adults and kids alike.
So, today I will make the first entry in my gratitude journal. And a year from now — if I continue to be lucky and blessed — I will give you a full report.
Want to give it a try, too? The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley can help you get started.
I wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving.
HeideBlog 
A great reminder that we need to consciously look for the little details of daily living that really do make life worth living. One thing I am grateful for are the bloggers I follow who share such thoughtful and caring posts, like you. Happy Thanksgiving.
And thank YOU for your very kind comment, Patti. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving — and I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.
What a lovely post! I have just written a blogpost to be posted soon, still working on the photographs about exactly this, things that I am grateful for and then I checked my mail and saw your post. It is so true, because I feel lighter for having written down all I am so very grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving to you sweet friend!
Awww, Rochelle … thank you for your very sweet words. And thank you for being YOU! You’re always so kind and gracious and supportive, and I’m so thankful we “met.” A big hug to you, and a happy Thanksgiving too!
You’ve been teaching me much lately. Thank you. I”ll give it a try.
You’ve taught me so much over the years, Tom, that it’s about time I repaid the favor! 😉 Thank you …
Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I was just reading something about gratitude journals yesterday, maybe this is a sign from the universe 🙂