24 November, 2006

Day 24 for nablopomo

D. and I went to B & D's yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. An enormous spread of traditional favorites graced the table: roast turkey of course, candied sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, creamed corn, fresh asparagus, peas, and dressing. D. made a creamy gravy to season everything with. The wine was a-number one (our contribution). Dessert was pumpkin and chocolate pies. I've learned to limit my portions over the years, but I did try everything and so, was suitably stuffed. Although not so stuffed that I had to hold my arms out to tell if I was rolling or walking. The sad thing is that this morning while trying to come up with something erudite to post I find my brain still suffering from tryptophan overload. I did however spy this little item at wikiHow, and thought that perhaps the day after Thanksgiving would be a good day to post it.



How to be thankful:

Do you take many things in your life for granted? By looking at the world a little differently, you just might realize how much you have to be thankful for. Here's how to stop and smell the roses.

1. Look around and pay attention to the people around you. You will find that everybody has something to worry or complain about, not just you. It's easy to focus on those who seem to have it all, but you never know what's going on inside. They might look happy, but they might be miserable as well. Don't look at others and think "I should have it like they do." Look at those who aren't as fortunate as you are and count your blessings.
2. Practice acceptance. Stop dwelling on how things should be, what could've been, and what you don't have. Recognize what you do have--whether you like it or not, it's yours to keep or to change. Accepting your lot in life is not about resigning yourself to unhappiness. It's about not wasting time lamenting or denying your problems. Take them for what they are and...
3. Become a problem solver. Use your lemons to make lemonade. Get in the habit of asking yourself how you can turn the negative into a positive. The most successful people in life, and those who have the most to be grateful for, are also those who've endured tremendous trials and managed to persevere and turn it all around.
4. Learn to see hardship as a chance to develop character. Imagine yourself looking back ten years from now and recounting your difficult circumstances, and being proud of how you handled it and worked through it.
5. Focus on what you can control. Stop concentrating on your situation, and on conditions and incidents that happened to you and that you have no control over. Instead, shift your focus on what you can control: your response, and your behavior.
6. Take joy in the small things. Blow bubbles with your kids. Play with a puppy. Get lost in the park. Goof off and have a good laugh. Life's treasures are the small pleasures. Give thanks for each small gift you receive!

Tips

• Avoid negative people whose social interaction consists of comparing their lives and competing for who has it worse.
• Volunteering to help those in need will help put things in perspective.

Warnings

• No matter how positive and thankful you are, remember that life will always have its ups and downs. You're going to have to take the good with the bad.