Thinking About Being Thankful?

It's November, and one of the most dominant thoughts on everyone's mind is that we're headed into the Thanksgiving holiday. And, the very conscience-minded are thinking of all the things to be thankful for. It's what we do, right? What are you thankful for? Let's ponder together for a few minutes and let's see if anything is new, different, or worth some additional "thankfulness" pondering:

Time? It gets away doesn't it? And seemingly way too fast. Ponder for a moment the good TIMES, even if it has been a rough year, a rough time, a rough life. Count the blessings, and be thankful that there are one, two, or a few things that are truly thankful worthy. Big or small, count them all.

Being Happy? Happiness gets a bad wrap. Most think it comes it big houses, fancy cars, phenomenal success, lots of money, etc.,etc., etc., and indeed those things can make a soul feel "happy". The unfortunate thing is that too much of life is spent grabbing for that kind of gigantic happiness, and never quite achieving that level. Many have found that happiness comes in a lot of small efforts in life, small packages of success, meeting small degrees of success. Don't measure happiness by its size in things. Measure it by the things that bring joy to your heart, and be truly thankful for those things.

Living? How are you doing? Just about every time I ask someone that question, they tell me all the very bad and very terrible things they can think of  at the time, without pause. Believe me, I know that life is a challenge on any given day for almost everyone. I've got a lot of receipts to prove it, too. There is something I've learned to do, and that is to keep my complaints minimal. Complaining has no real value, but it is good at keeping a person filled with negativity, and in a negative place in life.

On the other hand, when we can teach and tell ourselves that there really is a joy in looking at life from a positive perspective, a different evaluation surfaces. That perspective may not change things immediately, although it sometimes does. Seeing problems, predicaments, perils with possibility-thinking, and with the purpose and your perspective geared toward getting past those junctures in life sets a different tone and direction to head in. It's worth every effort you can put into it. 

I encourage you to give it a shot. You will get some amazing results. And, speaking of being thankful, some time down the road you'll remember these words, and I believe you'll be thankful someone cared enough to write them. ~ S.R.F.