I enjoy that once a year, we gather together and give thanks to those we love. While I, like most people, are all about the food at Thanksgiving, I also love how a aura of gratitude settles over the country at this time. I'm a huge proponent of thank you notes. I think we should always recognize the efforts of others, particularly when they are doing something helpful for us.
This month's Variations on a Theme celebrates today. Let's give thanks - not just today, but everyday.
365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life
John Kralik
Other Titles of Thanks
365 Ways to Live Happy - Meera Lester
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World - Bill Clinton
Glad No Matter What - Susan Sark
Living in Gratitude - Angeles Arrien
Living Life As a Thank You - Nina Lesowitz et al.
Thank You Notes - Jimmy Fallon
This month's Variations on a Theme celebrates today. Let's give thanks - not just today, but everyday.
John Kralik
One recent December, at age 53,
John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law
firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce;
he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might
lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment
where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds
overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his
dearest life dreams—including hopes of upholding idealistic legal
principles and of becoming a judge—seemed to have slipped beyond his
reach. Then, during a desperate walk in
the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life
might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he
didn't have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had. Inspired by a beautiful, simple
note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift,
John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing
thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal—come what
may—of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year. [My Review]
Leah Dietrich
We could all use a little more
thankfulness in our lives, but Leah Dieterich’s collection of 200
handwritten letters of daily gratitude for all the things in life she
appreciates are witty and thought provoking as well as inspirational.
From the small, mundane, and odd to the cosmic and philosophically
abstract, who could resist thoughts like: Dear Wine, You make my phone conversations with my mom longer and more open. So thank you for that. Or, Dear Half-Dead Plants on My Desk, Thank you for reminding me why I am really not ready for a pet of any kind. Keep it real. With accolades from New York Times best-selling author Gretchen Rubin and DailyCandy, Leah Dieterich's thxthxthx.com website inspires an aptly named giftbook, thxthxthx: Thank Goodness for Everything. After years of being encouraged
(okay, nagged) by her Mother to write thank-you notes, Dieterich began
writing one thank-you note a day to whatever thing, no matter how small
or odd, she was thankful for. From important gestures, like a Partner's
Understanding, to simple, soulful, and quirky things like Songs You're
Embarrassed to Like, thxthxthx features 200 of Dieterich's
original, handwritten thank-you notes that collectively convey the look
and feel of handwritten notes from a close friend.
Robert Emmons
The first major study of gratitude that shows how “wanting what we have” can measurably change people’s lives. Did you know that there is a crucial component of happiness that is often overlooked? Robert Emmons—editor-in-chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology—examines what it means to think and feel gratefully in Thanks!
and invites readers to learn how to put this powerful emotion into
practice. Scientifically speaking, regular grateful thinking can
increase happiness by as much as 25 percent, while keeping a gratitude
journal for as little as three weeks results in better sleep and more
energy. But there's more than science to embrace here: Emmons also
bolsters the case for gratitude by weaving in writings of philosophers,
novelists, and theologians that illustrate all the benefits grateful
living brings.
Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon
This practical and visionary guide helps you discover that the more you give, the more you have. Simple and easy to use, The Power of Giving
provides a wealth of down-to-earth ideas, exercises, and real-life
stories that reveal to each reader the unique gifts he or she has to
give?including kindness, ideas, advice, attention, hope, and more and
the many ways you can benefit from giving them, from better health to
better job prospects.
June Eding
There are many people who
contribute to our lives directly and indirectly, in small ways and in
very large ways. Parents, friends, teachers, employers, co-workers,
ministers, neighbors, strangers—the list goes on. Showing gratitude can
be a simple small gesture to a stranger who opens a door, holds a train,
helps change a flat tire, lends their phone, or shares a smile.
Gratitude and thankful gestures can be small ripples that, when added
together, become a tidal wave of good will. Whether a kindness or a courtesy
goes unacknowledged for a day or a decade, there is no reason not to
give thanks. There is no time limit on a thank you. It’s never too late
to show your gratitude. Often we may be so preoccupied with our own
concerns that we forget to say a simple "thank you," to someone, for
whatever reason that may be. Thank You, a simple yet profound book, provides the perfect way to express your gratitude. Accessible for all ages, Thank You
includes inspiring quotes on the importance of being thankful. Inside
its pages, you will discover 101 ways to practice effortless gratitude —
thoughtful ideas to share with those people who come into your world.
Whether at work, home, or with friends….there is always a good reason to
say “thank you.”
David Finkel
The wars of the past decade have
been covered by brave and talented reporters, but none has reckoned with
the psychology of these wars as intimately as the Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist David Finkel. For The Good Soldiers, his
bestselling account from the front lines of Baghdad, Finkel embedded
with the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion during the infamous “surge,”
a grueling fifteen-month tour that changed them all forever. In
Finkel’s hands, readers can feel what these young men were experiencing,
and his harrowing story instantly became a classic in the literature of
modern war. In Thank You for Your Service,
Finkel has done something even more extraordinary. Once again, he has
embedded with some of the men of the 2-16—but this time he has done it
at home, here in the States, after their deployments have ended. He is
with them in their most intimate, painful, and hopeful moments as they
try to recover, and in doing so, he creates an indelible, essential
portrait of what life after war is like—not just for these soldiers, but
for their wives, widows, children, and friends, and for the
professionals who are truly trying, and to a great degree failing, to
undo the damage that has been done.
Other Titles of Thanks
365 Ways to Live Happy - Meera Lester
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World - Bill Clinton
Glad No Matter What - Susan Sark
Living in Gratitude - Angeles Arrien
Living Life As a Thank You - Nina Lesowitz et al.
Thank You Notes - Jimmy Fallon
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