My granddaughter, Maeby is five years old, and already she regularly practices a habit that will take her far in life, a habit that will set her apart from her peers: she writes “thank you” notes. She writes them for everything: major occasions, like birthdays and holidays, of course. She writes them for the packages of little somethings Papa and I occasionally send. And yesterday she wrote one to each of her customers who bought Girl Scout cookies from her.

Like her mother, Maeby loves to write. Sometimes my daughter is annoyed by Maeby’s attention to detail which manifests itself by “How do you spell …” questions. But I would bet, that deep down, Kate realizes not only how important written expression is generally, but that articulating gratitude in this way is hugely beneficial to the writer.

Indeed, research shows that practicing gratitude positively affects one’s psychological well-being, physical health, and relationships. The same can be said for practicing habits like like exercise, developing and nurturing hobbies, and volunteering. The question is, “if it’s so beneficial, why doesn’t everyone do it?”

Any habit, good or bad, requires effort. After all, energy flows where attention goes. I am not a scientist, but it seems that anyone is capable of doing anything if one puts forth consistent effort.

I have resigned myself to the fact that, unfortunately, I won’t receive a thank you note for every single gift I give. Not everyone has developed, or intends to develop, that particular good habit. Likewise, I refuse to accept that writing thank you notes is passé. Rather, I choose to view it the same way I view being able to parallel park: you can do it if you want. And, boy oh boy, will others notice.