On this, the day before Thanksgiving, I wanted to post something that is fitting for the upcoming holiday season. It doesn't have a lot to do with art. OK, so this has nothing to do with art. But it has everything to do with being grateful. Without trying to sound pompous, I'm one of the most grateful people that you'll ever meet... that sounded pompous, but I promise it wasn't meant to be. I thank my lucky stars everyday for the big things (family, friends, life, love, job, health insurance), for the little things (sounds, textures, moments) and everything in between (bunnies, cats, no traffic, remembering my lunch). To me, being grateful is honorable, wonderful and self fulfilling. It's not something I ever had to think about in recent memory, because my parents instilled this moral on me at a very early age. And for that, I'm grateful.
Like many things in life, there is a flip-side to the positive. If you Google "antonyms for grateful" two of the big ones that come up are unappreciative and thankless. These two words sadden me. To me, being ungrateful would be like living in a world where the glass is constantly half empty. And I hate to sound like a curmudgeon, but the ungrateful attitude I see from adults and children alike sickens me. The selfishness. The negativity. The complaining. Why are people like this? The answer is simple. It is easier for them to be ungrateful. In most cases, they never learned how to be grateful in the first place. Parents lead by example, and children soak that shit up like a sponge.
I read an interesting article today in The Washington Post about teaching children to be grateful. In all honestly, I didn't exactly exclaim "THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING!". It did, however, confirm my feelings and attitude about raising grateful children in our ever growing society. I'd like to share a quote from clinical psychologist Eleanor Mackey of Children’s National Medical Center. “Generally speaking, it’s like anything else: It takes time and energy to raise grateful kids, but if you make it a priority, it is doable, and the payoff can be enormous”. Well said, Eleanor. What's the payoff like, Mr. Jeffrey Froh, an assistant professor of psychology at Hofstra University? "[Grateful children] report better relationships with friends and family, higher GPAs, less materialism, less envy and less depression, along with a desire to connect to their community and to want to give back."
WOW. So... hang on with me here... being grateful has lasting personal benefits, and is also helpful for the community (being friend, family, etc) that surrounds said person. Damn, that's awesome! Here's a question I leave you to interpret as you see fit: What are the personal lasting benefits of being ungrateful?
So, you may ask, what's the big point you're trying to make here Jill? My point is this: To make Thanksgiving a state of mind that we can share everyday, not just the one day out of the year that for some, is just a prelude to the Christmas season. Give it a shot. Be thankful for the things that you have, from the air you breathe to the company you hold. Maybe try extending a 'thank you' to the stranger who holds the door open for you, or maybe hold the door open for that stranger. You'll never know how powerful those words or gestures might be to someone, especially one who doesn't know of gratitude. And honestly, it's not completely their fault that they are ungrateful. After all, they had to learn their behavior from somewhere.
