It’s been a couple of months since my last post, and I’ve felt somewhat guilty about that. I could offer any one of a number of excuses, but the truth is that things weren’t really going “my way,” and therefore I felt as if I had nothing to write about. What a myopic and immature view I sheepishly discovered that to be! But isn’t it quite natural—albeit selfish and self-seeking –to want what we want when we want it? 
It took flipping the calendar page to November for me to come to my senses and stop me from falling further into the unrewarding abyss of self-pity. You see, I love November because my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It reminds me to look at the big picture and, in doing so, notice the little things that I take for granted. 
Some time ago I began to privately journal my gratitude daily, starting with a Pinterest board I called ” Epic Gratitude: 365 Days, One Day At a Time,” onto which I posted a photo of something for which I was grateful. I love looking at it from time to time; I often find things that warm my heart and sometimes make me chuckle, like funny text messages from my daughter about the kids. While it could be construed as somewhat masochistic, I sometimes discipline myself with long-term challenges just to see if I have the stamina to finish what I’ve started, which has never been easy. But so far I’ve not missed a day in nearly three years; I’m on a roll.

My relationship with Facebook is one of love/hate. In fact, I quit it for more than a year and probably would have stayed gone forever if not for my kids saying that I’d see more pictures of my grandkids if I reactivated my account. Very well. This time around though, I’m “friends” with people I actually have a connection with…not just random acquaintances. Most of my friends are in some form of recovery or have a loved one who is, and some of us participate in a group called “5 G’s a Day,” where each day we post five things for which we’re grateful. 
Word has spread and more and more people—friends of friends whom I don’t even know—have joined the practice of daily gratitude. Reading each post makes me smile and warms my heart, and watching the steady growth of the group gives me the feeling that an emotional tsunami is about to hit. 
There’ve been numerous studies on the benefits of practicing gratitude, so I won’t go into that specifically; but an outstanding one is http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/. The researcher in me wants to interview people in our 5G’s-group and ask questions like, “How has practicing gratitude helped you? Are you happier? Less stressed? Have your relationships with family/friends/co-workers improved? Do you sleep better? Are you beginning to notice the little things in life? Do you find yourself to be less materialistic? Less self-centered? More spiritual?” Of course, I won’t. All I know is that it benefits me in these and so many other ways, I’d be foolish to stop.
I thank God for the month of November, the one that reminds me of just how blessed I really and truly am. And concurrently this month—as if on cue—my Christmas cactus that is so old it’s pot-bound and is just a big, green plant for most of the year, magically bursts forth with a huge mass of brilliant, pink flowers! The timing couldn’t be better. It wrests me from focusing on what (I don’t think) is right and instead on what IS. And that’s something to be grateful for!