thankfulness

We have an obsession with physical appearance. We exercise. We diet. We pay to join groups that motivate us to attain a weight loss goal. If we are serious about living healthy and staying in shape, it takes a certain amount of work. We must be disciplined and condition ourselves by living a certain lifestyle. It is not easy, but in order to look good we are often willing to do what it takes. With Thanksgiving approaching next month, I was thinking what would our society be like if we conditioned our minds in the same way we are concerned about our bodies. What if instead of demanding "instant" everything, we were content to practice patience. What if there was no such thing as instant popcorn, drive through windows, or cell phones? There was a time when there were none of these things, and as far as I know the people living in this time were not drastically unhappy. What if everytime we let our minds wander to a complaint of some sort, we caught ourselves and instead gave thanks that the situation or problem was not worse? And what if we made it a way of life to give a smile or a compliment to every person we spoke to in the course of a day? What if everyone everywhere took up these habits? I think we would place less emphasis on physical beauty because we would be happier with who we are on the inside. They say it takes six weeks of doing something every day to make it a habit. I have decided although November is only thirty days long, I am going to post something every day I am thankful for. An unknown author said this - "If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you wouldn't want." Thanksgiving got me thinking about this, but I hope by doing this exercise it will grow in me a deeper sense of contentment. "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." (John F. Kennedy)