Wishing You a Wonderful Thanksgiving

It is no surprise that the month that hosts Thanksgiving is also National Gratitude Month. What is odd is that it is January that is National Thank You Month. Although one can express their gratitude by saying thanks, saying “thank you” doesn’t necessarily mean one is grateful.

Merriam-Webster defines gratitude as “a feeling of appreciation or thanks.” Studies have shown that practicing gratitude is good for mental health, relationships, and even physical well-being.

Saying thank you is often a polite throwaway sentence people generally say without thinking.

The origin of “thank” lies, like so many of our words, in Latin. Literally, it means “think.” So when one says thank you to the polite person holding the door open, he or she is actually promising to remember this act. Not likely. Our brains would be overwhelmed with thoughts of every person who has ever brought us a glass of water in a restaurant, reached a box of cereal on the top shelf, or answered our call to customer service.

Gratitude lies a lot deeper than a simple “Thank you,” although it can be expressed as such. Gratitude is a deep-seated feeling in our souls. Oddly, gratitude is both a spontaneous feeling and a conscious choice we make.

“I am thankful for this pumpkin pie. It is delicious.”

“This pumpkin pie tastes awful. I will still eat it and be grateful because a family member attempted to make a pumpkin pie out of love.”

Like I said, one is a spontaneous response to a delicious pie and the other is a conscious choice.

Many people trying to discover a deeper sense of gratitude turn to journaling–and in today’s tech-loving world, numerous gratitude apps are available to encourage gratitude. They provide everything from a place to journal to encouraging quotes to gentle prompts.

One can cultivate gratitude by doing many other acts of gratitude. Prayer. Humility. Charity–a very important aspect of gratitude here at Swan.

And, if all else fails, one can make a game out of gratitude. This pumpkin pie tastes like a burnt shoe sole? At least, I only have a small piece to eat and plenty of whipped cream to cover up the taste.

We at Swan are grateful for our families, friends, clients, pets, jobs, and more.

Wishing you a Blessed Thanksgiving.