In Conclusion and at the Outset
What is left of the Christmas cookies are crumbs. The decorated tree in the living room sports only lights. Ornaments, and a small string of popcorn (thank you daughter Amanda for your time and consideration of our festive decor)-with no presents wrapped and waiting for discovery, nestled at the base. I noticed the department store isles offered New Year’s Celebration decor and already the Christmas items are gone and the next red holiday items are being stocked on the shelves. And so once again we close off another year- 2011, and open a brand new year- 2012.
Christmas Present and Christmas Past (passed)
On a social media network- I liked the picture of Snoopy being excited and grateful about life. (I should have copied and pasted it for future reference! 
A friend handed my husband a neat article about Giving Thanks, by Nancy Henderson- which was presented in American Profile- page 8 & 9. In it the author highlights other authors that have written in some fashion about the benefits of expressing gratitude. I’ve known/realized for a long time, that being thankful and letting others know about the same was a very wise thing to do, and the benefits left in the wake of doing so make it well worth it.
Now, as I consider the fact that we are done with 2011 and must embark on 2012, I wonder it gratefulness would be a worthy credo to live by? As brought out in the above mentioned article- John Kralik found his life changed around by being thankful and in fact wrote a book entitled 365 Thank Yous-The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life. I wonder about 3 things-if I sat down to write out a list of everything and everyone that I was thankful for:
#1 on my Thankful List
1) How long would it take to exhaust my list making?
2) How many items would be on my list when I reached that “end point”? (is there an end point?)
3) What would be my state of mind after completing the task?
I’m not sure about any of the answers and I am not sure when/if I would do such a thing. But I do think I will keep these thoughts in mind as I begin the New Year and I might even try to journal about a few things I am thankful for, each day, and see how long I can do so and not be repetitive. How about you? It would seem that doing so would only benefit my health, and might even translate into being of service toward the health of others. What about you?
