As a follow-up to my last blog, I am providing some actionable items. Maybe Thanksgiving would receive more of our attention if it had its own season, instead of cramming the whole holiday into a meal. Let’s create a “season of giving thanks.”
T – Tell a relative or friend that you are thankful he or she is in your life and explain why.
H – Have a small get-together at your house with a few friends who keep you grounded.
A – Acknowledge even the smallest gestures and let people (even strangers who hold doors) know that their actions are appreciated. You notice these things happening more when you start to acknowledge them.
N – Nothing. That’s right, do nothing. It’s a great way to thank yourself. Allowing yourself to do absolutely nothing once in a while is not a guilty pleasure, it’s a necessity. You’ll thank me later.
K – Keep a journal (or a Notes app) of things to be thankful for as you think of them. Looking at this on those days when you’re down or defeated will pick you right back up.
S – Send an unexpected thank you card to someone for a favor done a while ago, and let him or her know you’re still grateful and that the action has not been forgotten.
G – Go to a play, concert, museum or gallery and be thankful that you have the means to do so and a city that makes such opportunities available. In Pittsburgh there are many options (and many free options) that we all can and should be thankful for.
I – Identify a few circumstances from the past year that you felt were entirely bad and that might perhaps still anger or frustrate you. Now try (your darndest) to find something within those circumstances that you can be thankful for. Find the silver lining or create a positive spin.
V – Volunteer as a creative way to say thank you for what you have. You give something as simple as your time, and someone else receives something to appreciate and be thankful for.
I – Inspire or invite others to join in as you try these ideas. Thanksgiving is not a time for selfishness!
N – Name one of the best things you ever received and recall why it had an effect or made an impression on you.
G – Give to a cause or charity. Find something in your life that you take for granted that someone else definitely would not. Help make sure someone else receives or has access to that certain something