Over the Top

Thanksgiving and the Practice of Gratitude

Submitted by Deveny Cay Wells, Editor, Coryell Roofing & Construction

Thanksgiving begins what we Americans think of as "the holiday season", and it is just around the corner. For many of you, it will be a welcome four-day break from work--one you will celebrate with family, friends, food--lots of really good, fattening food--and football.

However, this holiday season, I challenge you to place your focus on gratitude. Gratitude, stemming from the Latin word gratus, means "thankful." The practice of gratitude involves two steps:

• recognizing that something positive has happened

• identifying the source of this positive happening

Furthermore, gratitude has to be intentional--it does not come naturally. Young (n.d.) writes that "[w]e humans have a negativity bias, which means that we're wired to notice threats in the environment." She further states that when we do recognize good, we let it "slide off us fairly quickly." So, it takes more effort to stay focused on what we have to be grateful for and maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.

Perhaps, as Thanksgiving ushers in this holiday season, you could practice being more intentional about gratitude. Young suggests three ways you can choose from:

1. Every day, list three positive things that have happened within the last twenty-four hours. Be sure to recognize their sources: a higher power, nature, another person, yourself.

2. Once a week, think of a positive experience you have had and write about it for five minutes. Remind yourself of the goodness in life as you relive the experience.

3. Each week, write a letter of gratitude to someone who has brought goodness to your life. Sending it is optional.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We at Coryell Roofing are grateful for each of you who contributed to this newsletter and each of you reading it. Our hearts are full as we recognize your efforts in educating the children in the great state of Arkansas and these great United States of America.