Thanks as a Practice



Thanks as a Practice


I can't believe it's been 5 years since I began this blog! So much has happened since that first entry up to now. I have come out on the good side of some major surgeries, learned a new language, moved in the middle of the sea...And now, here I am full circle at the starting point again: Thanksgiving. 

It's a good space to be in...giving thanks. Every year I surprise myself by having new things to be thankful for. I re-read my Thanksgiving entries yesterday to get inspiration for today, and every year the entry was different.

What I have been trying to work on for years is realizing what I am grateful for every day. During the holidays I am resolute, and make a conscious effort every day to remember. But as time goes on, my resolve becomes more wishy-washy, until I really need Thanksgiving as I reminder.

Why is being grateful such a hard habit to stick to? It is a ritual that only takes a few minutes a day–a journal entry, beginning or ending the day with a dedication to the good things in life, a recognition for the food in front of me...and yet, I often fall short of my grateful goals.

 I get caught up in the doing, the have–tos and should–dos: even the want–to–dos. Being thankful falls to the wayside as other things take its place in the "importance" field. It starts out with a "I'll just skip it" today until the spaces between the thank yous last days or weeks.

But never fear, a new resolution is here! I'll just say it behind my eye-lids before venturing to open them in the morning. I'll see them displayed on my just conscious screen before actually seeing. And all of you can be my accounting partners. We'll check back here on Thanksgiving, 2026.

May you remember what you are thankful for over the next few days. I hope more and more reasons to be grateful come to mind...



Photo: <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/neelam279-9820894/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=7493246">Frauke Riether</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=7493246">Pixabay</a>


Text: Kristen Mastromarchi

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