I don’t know about you, but at this time of year I always think of work. It s harvest time. Because of the years I spent in the MidWest, I was around people who were harvesting produce, bringing in the crop for the year. The quirks of nature notwithstanding, they would be reaping what they had sown. The result of their work was visible, and commensurate to the amount of effort and care they had put into it. They also had an ending. The crop that had been planted was now being harvested. Then it would all begin again.

We do not all have work like this.

My musings started the first of October this year, as I volunteered a lot of time working at the church’s pumpkin patch, which raises $50,000 each year for local charities.

Most of the time I just sold pumpkins, but two Saturdays we unloaded huge trucks of pumpkins hauled in from a Navajo pumpkin farm in another state.
We formed a chain of humans and passed the pumpkins down the line to eventually be arranged on the church lawn.

On one side of me were 2 parolees doing community service time. They talked about how much better this job was than the one they d done earlier, and how nice it was to be out in the sunshine. Both of them expected to be out by Christmas. I didn t ask them what they were in for.

On the other side of me were teenagers from the youth choir who complained a lot about how hard it was and had to be reminded to pay attention. I’m sure they couldn’t imagine working at anything for 8 hours in a row, especially something so, like, boring, dude.

The pumpkins came down the line in various sizes and shapes, shiny and wet, some with dirt on them.

It was very primal.

I wondered if the Navajos on the other end of the process had formed a line to pitch them into the truck. And if they took pride in their work. If they even saw the marvel of the pumpkins any more.

One time there was a middle-aged woman standing next to me. You re a good worker, she said. You don t complain. If only she knew how much I was enjoying myself.

I was raised with the work ethic, I said. It s stood me in good stead. Having been taught that work was work and play was play somehow frees me from the complaining side and allows me to enjoy work. Most of the time anyway.

As the pumpkins passed by us we noted you couldn’t tell how much one would weigh by looking. There were some surprises. It s the density.
Such different shapes, too. Squash someone would yell and down would come a pumpkin that didn t know it was a pumpkin. Sometimes nature errs. What is the line between pumpkin and squash anyway? One or the other must have been a mutant at some time. How exciting to discover one. There s no such thing as a mistake, I m reminded.

Twice a “perfect” pumpkin came down the line and work slowed as each person paused to admire it. No one reprimanded, “Move it along.” We understood our mutual need to appreciate perfection when it comes our way. Once in a lifetime twice on the pumpkin line life is sweet indeed. We have the archetype of the perfect pumpkin, and the perfect woman, and the perfect love affair, and the perfect job. (Hope you’ve had yours!)

I enjoy that kind of work a lot. Touching things with my hands, physical labor. It’s a nice change of pace for me. I work with my head, with people, with ideas, and with computers.

We were a human assembly-line and I thought of the people who do that kind of work for a living. Maybe you do. We were able to talk, and were outside on two beautiful, sunny, breezy days. And it was only for 3 hours. I wondered what it would be like 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Abruptly it was over. No more, they yelled, and we passed it on down the line. As we workers scattered, I gazed over the sunny scene. The pumpkins, which had grown on the ground were back there, only clean, and arranged orderly by size this time. Ashes to ashes, I thought, to the same place returneth, but then the scene became dynamic. The pumpkins had a lot in store for them. Already some were being used as backdrops for family photographs, while others were being carted off to become a jack-o-lantern, lawn pumpkin, or pumpkin pie.

My job, now completed, was part of a much larger scenario, yet from it I had harvested much.

At Thanksgiving time, a time of harvest and bounty, I invite you to reflect on your work and your life — the mission and meaning side of it. The planting of the seed part of it. The reaping what you have sown part of it. Have you? Will you?

About the Author

Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn,cc . I offer coaching, Internet courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for career, relationships, transition, resilience. I train and certify EQ coaches. For more information on this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program, mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc .

How to Become a Woman of Thanksgiving by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

It can be a challenge to be thankful. After all, it often seems so much easier to complain. The bills are piling up, the boss wanted the project done yesterday and it is barely begun, the children want to be brought someplace and don?t want to eat what is on the table for dinner, and the laundry isn?t going to do itself! Any number of life?s little annoyances can push us into complaining mode. Lamentation is a valid prayer. We are right to bring our cares and concerns to God, to offer up our stress. But thanksgiving is an important part of prayer also. We are often eager to petition God for our needs, but less likely to say ?Thank you? when a prayer has been answered.

So, how then, do we become a woman of thanksgiving? Begin by looking around. Thank God for another day of life, the nature that surrounds us. Do you have a roof over your head, food on the table? Thank God for those. Are your children screaming through the house? Stop and thank God that they are healthy enough to run and play, and yes, even fight with each other! Any time when you feel a complaint bubbling to the surface, take a moment to breathe and survey the situation. Is there any silver lining hiding below the surface that could possibly be a reason for thanks? If so, thank God for that. When petitioning God for a need, always add a prayer of thanksgiving for the answer, whether it is the answer desired or not. Like any habit, with practice, becoming a woman of thanksgiving should become easier.

About the Author

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of “The Spiritual Woman Newsletter” providing information and inspiration for women who seek to deepen their relationship with God - http://www.spiritualwoman.net and author of “Letters to Mary from a Young Mother” (iUniverse, 2004)

Thanksgiving is a time of family, food and fun. Here are some ideas of traditions you can start that will give you those “warm fuzzy feelings” for years to come!

Watch the parade on TV or make an effort to attend the parade. Don t forget a thermos of hot chocolate

Family Portrait Time–use this picture for Christmas cards

Decorate with: gourds, indian corn, corn stalks, pine cones, fall leaves, cornucopia, a large pine cone turkey with feathers

As family gathers, this is an excellent time for making a personal history video helping to connect the generations. Ask questions such as:

What was life like when you were our age?
What were your parents like?
What were your brothers, and sisters like?
What was your happiest memory as a child? your saddest?
How did you and your spouse meet?
Ask the interviewee to bring along momentos or pictures for your children to look at.

Here is a great webpage full of other interesting questions to ask.
http://articles.scrapbooking.com/family_history.htm

Break out the Christmas music

Watch a favorite holiday movie each Thanksgiving to bring on the Christmas season such as: It s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, Little Drummer Boy.

About the Author

About the Author Teresa Hansen is the creator of www.momsmakingit.com sharing creative ideas to save time,
save money, and enrich your life! Visit http://savemoney.momsmakingit.com for your free e-guide “Moms Making It! 111 Great Money Saving Ideas! She is a wife and mother of five children.

Did you know that more than 47% of US households are headed by unmarried individuals? The American Association for Single People projects this figure will continue to rise in the coming decade. Therefore, if you are single you are not alone. And if you have single adults in your social circle, don t assume alone means lonely.

As Thanksgiving approaches and we start making holiday plans, here are some things to keep in mind.

Perception: That it s terrible to be alone for the holidays.
Reality: This is mostly a projection of married people who fear the unknown or could not tolerate being alone before they were married. The reality is that single people who observe what goes on at holiday get-togethers between couples, 50% of whom are destined to be divorced at some point, think there are worse things than being single.

Perception: That single people are desperate to be invited over for Thanksgiving dinner.
Reality: Single people have myriad options and no one to consult. I can go on a cruise, stay home in my bathrobe and declare it a non-holiday, do meaningful volunteer work at the homeless shelter, invite friends over, or get a dinner reservation at a hotel. Or I can accept any one of the numerous invitations I get. Contrary to what you might think, we single people are popular at the holidays. Most of us have accomplished social skills and are welcome additions at holiday gatherings

Perception: Single people don t know what to do for holidays.
Reality: We re used to planning our social lives actively, good at generating options, used to making unilateral decisions, and accomplished mixers. We re pros!

Perception: Anyone who s single is fair-game to perform certain social tasks during the holiday celebration.
Reality: We like to be cherished guests, just like everyone else. Can you come for Thanksgiving dinner. I need some help with Aunt Edna? is not an invitation. If your family doesn t get along and you re inviting the single person to throw a steer in with the bulls, that s not nice either. It s your problem; solve it yourself.

Perception: Single people are available to do certain physical tasks.
Reality: This isn t an invitation either: Can you come over early and help out in the kitchen. I ve got my hands full. What about her husband? Her sisters? As best-friend, yes; as the only working-guest, absolutely not.

Perception: That the only “happy” way to spend the holidays is if you are a
couple or part of a family.
Reality: If that were so, half the articles on the Internet this time of year wouldn’t be about how to cope with family at the annual holiday get-togethers.

Perception: That single people are miserable during the holidays.
Reality: Yes, it can be difficult if it s their first Thanksgiving after a divorce or after a spouse has died, but the majority of single people are no more miserable than anyone else, and perhaps less so. Since being single (with grown children), I ve had the same levels of pleasure, the same good and better holidays, but there s one thing for sure I m more rested, and that in itself goes a long way.

So if you re thinking about including a single person in your family gathering, make sure it s because you want them there, not to fulfill a function or because you think they d be miserable if it weren t for your invitation. A guest is a guest, whether they re single or married, and good manners prevail.

About the Author

Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, Internet courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your personal and professional development. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. I train and certify EQ coaches. Email for info.

Thanksgiving is more than just sitting around the table and eating until your buttons fall off. It s an important holiday in which we say thanks to those we love and the country we adore.

For many, Thanksgiving is the only occasion their family gets together, eats together and watches football together. The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and home made rolls are just a bonus on this thankful day. The time spent together as a family is already more than enough to warm the hearts and souls of many.

Thanksgiving is also a day to say thanks to those who have died for us long ago, be it a relative who died helping our ancestors cross the Atlantic or a soldier that was lost in the American Revolution.

We must say thanks to those who have given us a chance to be somebody and spend our time with our friends and family to show them our love and care as we once did.

About the Author

Gary is a webmaster for Love Literature

There we were, newly married, living thousands of miles from either of our homes, in Durham, NC where he was in medical school. My husband was from Texas, and I was from the North Shore of Chicago. We came from two different cultures ourselves, and now were together in a new one. It turned out to be culture shock on top of culture shock as we adjusted to each other, and to the cosmopolitan student body at Duke Medical School.

CULTURE IS LEARNED

Culture is something we learn. It isn t related to race or ethnicity, religion or anything else, but it pulls from all those groups, and, especially if we ve only lived in one place, moved only in one social group, and/or haven t been exposed to other cultures, we tend to think of our own culture as sacred. However, so does the other person!

As we move into an exciting new world of global interaction, there are going to be culture clashes. Let s continue looking at this through my Thanksgiving Tale.

THE PLAYERS

The first Thanksgiving came around and friends from New England invited us over along with 6 other couples. Guests included a man from the Dominican Republic married to a woman from Spain; a couple from Missouri; a New York man married to a woman from Brazil; two French Canadians from Quebec; and two Australians who were not medical students, but neighborhood friends. Religions represented were Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. And, I should add, it included men and women.

As friends do, we all talked among ourselves both before the event, during and after. A lot of it had to do with figuring out what was going on with all these nationalities represented. We split into factions about what was right and what was wrong, often changing sides with different issues.

TIME & COMMUNICATION

Why noon? my husband asked. When are we eating? My husband liked everything organized with no surprises. I was more flexible, but willing to dive in and explore, so I called the hostess. It s buffet, she said. I fished around for more information, like when were we expected to leave, and could I bring anything, hoping she d reveal the menu. Her answers were typically New England, short and terse.

You didn t find out anything? my husband asked, when I returned empty-handed.

She didn t volunteer anything, I said. I did the best I could.

Why didn t you just ask her the questions outright? he said.

Because that s rude, I said.

You re too polite, he replied.

Then next time you call, I said.

That s the woman s job, he replied.

We and the Missourians arrived at noon:11, which was our cultural dictate; a few minutes late to allow the host and hostess to make last minute adjustments, but no more than 15. The French Canadians and the Australians arrived about 30 minutes later. The couples that included a Latino arrived an hour or two after noon.

How rude, said the New Yorker. How are we supposed to be able to plan? What do you do when you invite the Gonzalvos over?

Relax, said the Australians. We ve all got kids. Things happen.

The French Canadians spoke to each other in French, obviously disliking tardiness, then smiled and told us, Isn t this a wonderful Thanksgiving, avoiding dissension.

The Latinos didn t appear to notice their wandering in was anything out of the ordinary They were busy hugging everyone and having a good time!

How we treat time varies greatly among cultures. We had had our cocktail hour by the time the Latinos arrived, and were ready to eat, but felt they should have time for a drink and some chatting also. It was an awkward moment. Somewhere also there was a football game involved, the timing of which got messed up.

Don t worry about the football game, said the Dominican. This is Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving IS the football game, my husband said to me, soto voce, angry over that and also because he hadn t had any food.

THE ATTIRE

Everyone from the medical school contingent was dressed up, and in festive apparel. The Australians were in blue jeans. The social group also has a pull.

FOOD

At last we were invited to the buffet table. To me, it s a big part of the event, and I was aghast. Boiled onions in a cream sauce, a turnip casserole, a ham, tart cranberries just crushed and sitting in a bowl where was the turkey, the stuffing, the sweet cranberry jelly? I don t even remember what the dessert was, but it s for sure it wasn t the Ambrosia my Texas-mother fixed, or the Mince Meat pie my British-ancestored father demanded.

A conversation ensued about who has what for Thanksgiving, some of us trying to convince the non-American participants of what Thanksgiving was really like, i.e., not like this, but also not agreeing among ourselves.

My husband and I went home feeling we hadn t had a Thanksgiving. I didn t get the meal, he didn t get the football game.

THE GRACE

Approaching the table, someone suggested a prayer of Thanksgiving. The host (the highest status male present) looked surprise so we all turned toward the most known-religious man in the room. However, the host evidently decided it was his job, and began a grace. I looked around. Some had their heads bowed in prayer; others were looking around the room, ill-at-ease.

AMBIANCE

When they first walked into the house, the US participants looked around as if something was missing. What was missing? There were no Thanksgiving decorations. Nor was there a host; the hosts child opened the door and we went hunting for the couple.

I miss my dad, the Missouri woman told me, an oblique reference to the greeting-situation. He always greeted guests so warmly, with a hug and a big smile at the front door.

The Dominican-Spain couple missed music and dancing. In my country we dance after dinner, he said. Here, you sit and fall asleep.

He and the gentleman from Australia also stayed in the room where the women were after dinner; the rest of the guys went off to the rec room.

AFTERGLOW

Conversations continued after the event. The upshot was we d had a good time, good company, and didn t wish to appear ungrateful, but we all were left feeling homesick. Next year we d do our own Thanksgivings, we agreed.

However, the next year my husband and I found ourselves in the car Thanksgiving Day, on the way over to the house of a Pakistani couple.

Why on earth would they invite us over for Thanksgiving? my husband asked. It s an American holiday.

I think it s nice, I said. They re going to live in the US and they want to join in and learn new ways. I just hope we have turkey.

I just better get to watch the game this year, he added, ominously.

Over the chicken makhani and ras malai, unfortunately served during the last quarter of the football game, the Japanese woman on my right said, So this is how you celebrate Thanksgiving here.

CULTURAL CHAOS

Interacting with other cultures is challenging, and requires a lot of emotional intelligence. It requires flexibility, creativity, empathy and interpersonal skills, plus a lot of understanding and a sense of humor. It forces us to focus on what s really important the people or the details? It also brings us to a greater awareness of what our own culture is.

Emotional intelligence relies on self-awareness and then other-awareness and finding the common ground, with optimism and goodwill. Global emotional intelligence relies on own-culture-awareness, then other-culture-awareness, and then finding the common ground with optimism and goodwill.

About the Author

Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach , http://www.susandunn.cc. Coaching for all your needs - transition, career, relationship, Emotional Intelligence, success, happiness, depression. Visit the eBook Library - http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html . Mailto:sdunn for FREE eZine.

We are moving toward our Nation s Thanksgiving Day.
We are Americans by birth and by adoption . . . by citizenship and by gift of place . . .
And, at the same time, we are the people of the earth,
people whose lives are blessed with love and hope
as well as those whose days are shadowed by darkness and despair.

We are young and old, skin of black and brown and yellow and red and no color worth mentioning.
Our languages are English and Spanish and Arabic . . .
Russian and Urdu and Swahili and Farsi and Sign . . .

We are women and men . . . boys and girls . . . hearing and deaf . . . sighted and blind . . .
We are gay and straight and transsexual and those for whom sexual identity is a faint memory . . .
We are lovers of pets and children and ourselves, and we are humans whose store of love is hard to find.
We are celebrators and grievers, runners and hikers and complex weavers of life.
We are artists and poets and writers and dancers,
and we are those whose creativity is blocked or exhausted . . .
And, with people north and south, west and east,
we are all saying thank you
We are recalling reasons to be grateful
because to do otherwise would surrender to life s pain.
We are gardeners and teachers and library keepers . . .
We are parents and children, brothers and sisters, cousins and aunts and uncles too . . .
We are widows and newlyweds . . . lovers and alone . . .
We are office workers and health care providers . . .
We are creators who love what we do and employees who long to set our mundane jobs aside . . .
We are those for whom productive life is just beginning and those whose memories are mixed up inside . . .
And we, with people around the world,
we are saying thank you
because gratitude is what WE need most this day.
We are doves setting forth from the humanity s fragile ark in search of peace.
We are bears longing to hibernate and make the world go away.
We are pacifists and soldiers, Democrats and Republicans . . .
Theists and pagans, Buddhists and Christians,
humanists and atheists and a whole bunch of us who are spiritually confused.
We are gathered here in the hope of Thanksgiving.
We are gathered in the gratitude of Grace.
May the Spirit of Life and Healing be with us all this day . . .
Comforting all for whom this season is one of loss and pain . . .
Honoring those who step forward to protect, or rescue, or serve in their country s name . . .
Tickling those who need reminders that, even in the midst of tragedy and confusion,
There will be bubbles of joy and those are okay.
May we believe always that Life does hold blessings for each one of us to take,
At all times, in all ways, may thank you be the language of our days.

Maureen Killoran, SpiritQuest Coaching, 2004

About the Author

Maureen Killoran is a Life Coach and Unitarian minister, with a passion for helping people connect their strengths with their vision. She expands the concept of gratitude in her popular teleclass, “The Power of Positive Thanking.” You can find more details about Coach Maureen Killoran at www.spiritquestcoaching.com

America celebrates Thanksgiving every year by festive family gatherings,
traditional holiday meals and offering thanks for all good fortunes. The Thanksgiving holiday has a history that dates back to early American
settlers. These settlers were known as the Pilgrims and they were the
first to have a Thanksgiving Day party.

The Pilgrims came to America
to escape religious persecution in England. They were granted free passage on the Mayflower on September 6th, 1620 as long as they would work in exchange for the next seven years. Unfortunately, the winter was so harsh that over half of the pilgrims didn’t make it to the spring. Less than fifty Pilgrims survived the brutal winter out of 110, but poor health improved with the good spring to come.

The local native Americans taught the pilgrims about growing crops such as corn and what plants could be used for medicinal purposes. With The Native Americans help the Pilgrims had a good harvest in October. The Pilgrims invited local Native Americans and settlers to all feast in thanks for there bountiful harvest. They celebrated and
feasted for three days and this became known as the first Thanksgiving in
America.

President Lincoln would later declare Thanksgiving a National Holiday to be celebrated every fourth Thursday in November in 1863. We as Americans can all take pride and give thanks by enjoying this rich American tradition of a Thanksgiving party with all our family and friends.

About the Author

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on giving the best possible party, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts.

Turkey … Stuffing … Cranberry Sauce … Pumpkin Pie

This is usually what comes to mind when we think of Thanksgiving. Granted the food is yummy and worth waiting for however, let s not forget another import aspect of this holiday Being With Family & Friends .

Family & Friends, they are what make this wonderful holiday so special, and help create those special memories.

Memories …. Everyone has them and each is precious. I love being with my husband and two beautiful daughters, but I think my favorite remembrances are from long ago.

Nana s House

This of course was my beloved grandmother, who has been gone from us for many years, but will always be remembered with so much love.

Thanksgiving at her home was the best.

Our family is not very big but with the sisters, husbands and cousins it seemed like an army. My sister and I looked forward to spending the day with our cousins; we always had so much fun.

Of course the very best part of the day was when nana declared Time To Eat . The first order of business was getting seated at the kids table. Nothing special, just a couple of card tables put together with a paper tablecloth -we were a bit messy - put over them.

Then came the food, makes my mouth water now just thinking about it. Please forgive me if I tend to sound just a bit prejudice - everyone s grandmother is a great cook after all - but in my mind no one could cook like my Nana .

The amount of food was horrendous, as I said there where not that many of us but you d think the entire town was there by the number of dishes on the table.

Everyone had their favorites, mine was the turkey & stuffing - I always had a drumstick, and my little sis was a wing girl - although everything else was good, except maybe the veggies.

After the main course came dessert - yummy - which consisted of the usual pumpkin pie, apple pie and rhubarb - that was for my mom - plus one of nana s specialties Apple Dumplings . These were hot from the oven with a lemon sauce poured over the top. No one has been able to duplicate the recipe, although one of my cousins - you know who you are - has given it a valiant try.

Now you may think this was the end of our eating for the day, wrong. After dinner was complete, while the grownups were cleaning up and then taking a rest - just their bodies, the talking was non-stop - we kids - weather permitting - were outside playing. A few hours later - not kidding - it was time for the famous turkey sandwiches and any other left over you might have a hankering for.

Of course as they say All Good Things Must Come To An End , which meant it was time to leave.

After what seemed like an eternity of good-byes we piled into our cars and headed for home. Little sis & I always fell asleep on the way, thinking about our wonderful day, and dreaming about next year.

Today our family is scattered across the country and sadly we are missing some - although not in our hearts - but when possible we still get together.

But on those November 27th s when we re not able to we still keep our Nana s spirit alive with lots of great food, a tremendous amount of talking, and good fun.

So to all of you, no matter what your traditions maybe, enjoy the day, the food, but most of all your loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving

From Savvy Home Decorating

This is a share ware article. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice.

Copyright 2004 Bonnie Carrier.

Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year.

Oh, sure, Christmas is grand, and I know it has many, many fans. I’m not knocking Christmas, but Thanksgiving is more important. And Easter has its fans, too. Rebirth is a wonderful thing, but I still say Thanksgiving is more important. Yes, the kids might put in a good word for Halloween. I am sure they enjoy the costumes and the sugar overdose, but Thanksgiving is more important.

Why?

Because the two most important words in the English language are “Thank You”. This is true for business success, for social pleasure, even for self-actualization.

For business success, a thank you tells a prospect or partner that you are appreciative of what she has just done. It shows you have a genuine interest in that person and the business relationship.

For social interaction, expressing gratitude is equally important to show how you value the other person and the social relationship you have with him. Thank you is a bonding phrase.

But thanksgiving is most important on a personal level for our own happiness. This is true for anybody who has ever lived, but it is even more true for us today.

Consider how much we have. More than any of our ancestors, we live in the Land of Plenty. We have more than anybody who lived at any time before. And for those of us who live in the developed world, we have more than most people on our little planet even today.

I’m not just talking about “stuff”. Oh, sure, we have digital color televisions and computers that take us around the world faster than the speed of sound. And we have 31 flavors of ice cream waiting for us on every second street corner. And we throw out more “junk” than we ever needed to own in the first place.

But we have so much more than just stuff. Consider the following:

FREEDOM: More of the world lives in a democracy than ever before, and democracy is becoming more open or “democratic” with every year (perhaps in part due to the Internet).

OPPORTUNITIES: With freedom and affluence comes opportunity. We have more opportunity to make more money, to earn it the way we wish, to choose our profession, our location, even our lifestyle. Women have just about reached equality with men in most of the developed world, and more people are able to flee oppressive regimes.

KNOWLEDGE: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? With freedom, comes the ability to satisfy our curiosity: knowledge. And with knowledge comes a thirst for freedom. Let’s face it, the idea of “the ignorant masses” has become an anachronism. Even the dumbest among us has more knowledge than most people who lived a couple centuries ago. (I said more “knowledge”, not more “wisdom”, but that’s another topic.)

HEALTH: Just surviving past childhood used to be a major accomplishment. Now we expect to live into our 80s or 90s. And we expect no, we demand to have exceptional health care all along the way (even those who are afraid to go to the doctor!).

This list could keep growing, but I think these are the major benefits of living in the twenty-first century, especially in the developed world. What does that have to do with thanksgiving and happiness?

Well, follow this train of thought. Whatever you have, you can either appreciate or not. If you appreciate it — I mean really notice that you have it, that it is good, that you feel good about having it — it will bring you happiness. However, if you get used to it, take it for granted, and focus on getting something you don’t have, it won’t bring you happiness.

Appreciation is the key to happiness. Whatever you truly and proactively appreciate, whether “stuff” or education or a vacation, will bring you happiness. But in this fast-paced, dog-eat-dog, over-stimulated society how can we appreciate anything?

Sadly, many of us who have the most to be grateful for express gratitude the least and feel the least appreciation. It seems the more we have the more we want. The more we want, the less we appreciate what we have. The less we appreciate, the less value there is to having anything, which may explain why we keep wanting more

The secret to feeling that appreciation we often overlook is in expressing our gratitude vocally or in writing. How can we possibly fail to appreciate something when we say “Thank you” for it and focus our attention on the appreciation?

I offer several ideas on how to express gratitude in the “Get Happy Workbook” and my book “Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness”, including keeping a gratitude journal, saying grace, practicing “bolsterism”, or just sending flowers, cards, or an appreciative e-mail message to name just a few ideas. Perhaps the most useful of all ideas is to make Thanksgiving Day every day.

Christmas is important. Easter is important. Halloween is important for the kids. But for our own personal happiness, there is nothing like a truly heartfelt Thanksgiving.

About the Author

David Leonhardt is author of The Get Happy Workbook (http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/happiness-workbook.html) and Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness (http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/happiness-self-help-book.html), and publisher of the free ezine: Daily Dose of Happiness. (http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html). Web site: http://www.TheHappyGuy.com.