Where Gratitude Thrives

Our country has reached a convergent point.

It happens every few years. Following a season defined by unpredictability, and on the precipice of months of uncertainty, we’re faced with a single day on which the foundations of our fiercest allegiances align.

I’m talking, of course, about the sports equinox.

A sports equinox, for the uninitiated, is the rare occasion when the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL are all in action on one exhilarating night, and we witnessed one on October 28. It doesn’t happen often. In fact, this was only the 31st sports equinox since its inception in 1971. It’s truly one of nature’s most precious gifts, one for which I found myself inordinately thankful.

Okay, maybe that’s a silly example. But if we’re not careful, celebrating these simple pleasures can quickly become an afterthought as we grow up. We can become too distracted by our circumstances to notice all the little things that add color to our days.

Gratitude is a discipline. It’s a muscle that must be flexed. I decided to begin practicing gratitude toward the end of the summer by writing down three things each weekday for which I’m particularly thankful. I was amused by how specific I could be. Here’s what I wrote on October 28:

Pizza
Warm bed
Sports equinox

There’s an epidemic of anxiousness infecting our culture right now. But as I sat on my couch triple-boxing Monday Night Football, Game 3 of the World Series, and Payton Pritchard, I realized there are nearly infinite reasons, from the extraordinary to the mundane, to be grateful. And where gratitude thrives, anxiety dies.

So, with November upon us, I want to challenge you to write down your own three things each weekday this month. If you start now, you’ll have 54 unique blessings to consider while you’re shoveling mashed potatoes onto your plate on Thanksgiving Day.

In a culture bent on serving up anxiety, feast on gratitude instead.

What are you thankful for today?