Gratitude Day

A L O H A !

“If you want to sleep more soundly,

count blessings,

not sheep,”

Robert A. Emmons, 

University of California, Davis

“Thanks!”

 his book on gratitude research

God does not need our gratitude,
nor does any other benefactor
so much as we ourselves
need to know it
and express it.

 

“ If you have lived,

take thankfully the past. "

John Dryden


"As each day comes to us

refreshed and anew,

so does my gratitude 

renew itself daily. 

The breaking of the sun 

over the horizon 

is my grateful heart

dawning

upon a blessed world. "

Terri Guillemets

Try a gratitude visit. 

This exercise, recommended by 

Martin Seligman 

of the University of Pennsylvania,

 begins with writing a 300-word letter

to someone who changed your life for the better.

 Be specific about what the person did and how it affected you. 

Deliver it in person, preferably without telling

the person in advance what the visit is about. 

When you get there, read the whole thing slowly

to your benefactor.

 “You will be happier and less depressed 

one month from now,”

Dr. Seligman guarantees 

in his book “Flourish.”

" Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude”

has been linked to better health, sounder sleep,
 less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior
 toward others, including romantic partners. 

A new study shows that feeling grateful
makes people less likely to turn aggressive
when provoked.

Start with “gratitude lite.” 

That’s the term used by Robert A. Emmons, 
of the University of California, Davis 

(the pepper-spray university!)

in his pioneering experiments he conducted
along with Michael E. McCullough

at the University of Miami.

They instructed people to keep a journal
listing five things

for which they felt grateful,
 like a friend’s generosity, something they’d learned,

a sunset they’d enjoyed.

The gratitude journal was brief 

— just one sentence for each of the five things —

and done only once a week,
but after two months there were significant effects. 

Compared with a control group, the people keeping
 the gratitude journal were more optimistic 
and felt happier. 

They reported fewer physical problems
 and spent more time working out.

Further benefits were observed 
in a study of polio survivors 

and other people
with neuromuscular problems.

The ones who kept a gratitude journal 
reported feeling happier

and more optimistic

than those in a control group,
 and these reports were corroborated
by observations from their spouses. 

(can't fool them!)

These grateful people also fell asleep
more quickly at night, 

slept longer and woke up
feeling more refreshed.

Go for deep gratitude. 

Once you’ve learned to count your blessings,
Dr. Emmons says, 

you can think bigger.

“As a culture, we have lost a deep sense
of gratefulness

about the freedoms we enjoy,

a lack of gratitude
 toward those who lost their lives
in the fight for freedom, 

a lack of gratitude

for all the material advantages
 we have,” he says. 

“The focus of Thanksgiving should be 

a reflection of how our lives 
have been made so much more
 comfortable

by the sacrifices of those
who have come before us.”

Derived from an article that appeared in print 
on November 22, 2011,
 on page D1 of the New York Times, 

NY Edition with the headline:

A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day.

 
I'm grateful for YOU

your visit is a gift

that I cherish!

                                                      Warmly, cloudia