Having an Attitude of Gratitude In 2020 and Beyond
By: Heather M. Shrum
Tags: 2020, Holiday Season, World War II, Gratitude, Thanksgiving

Having an Attitude of Gratitude In 2020 and Beyond

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova on Pexels.com

Thanksgiving week with all of its turkey and cranberry goodness and its shopping-crazy aftermath is over, but that doesn’t mean our thankful hearts should take a breather anytime soon.

Thanksgiving and the subsequent Christmas season is one of my favorite times of year. But with the monumental changes to our world this particular year, it’s shaping up to be a much different holiday season than most of us alive have ever experienced. Differences that make it that much harder to find reasons to be grateful.

But it’s got me thinking. I wonder, if we could talk to our grandparents and great-grandparents about their experiences during the war years, if they would say something to the effect of, You pipsqueaks, get it together. This is nothing.

No, they didn’t have to deal with a pandemic along with blackouts and rationing and air raids and all that, but then again, we have so many more conveniences nowadays, that even with the current lockdowns and restrictions, it seems like we have it much easier in some ways than they did.

Plus, we still have our unlimited supplies of turkey and ham and all the rest of those necessary delicacies that come with a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

Not only were meat, cheese, butter, and other foods rationed during World War II, but also families were faced with gasoline and tire rationing. And likely many other shortages that I’m unaware of. Not to mention the fact that many loved ones were overseas or otherwise absent from family gatherings with the war effort.

We also might be dealing with travel restrictions and isolation from loved ones, but we are blessed with technology and methods of keeping in touch — face-to-face, if we choose — that a family in 1942 never would have had at their disposal.

I admit that there are many reasons for sadness and disappointment this year, but there really are just as many reasons to be grateful, if you think about it. And believe me, I have to think about it for a good while, but they are there.

I’ve been trying to keep gratitude strong in my mind lately, at least when I think about it (which sometimes isn’t very often). But I want to do it more and make it a habit. For a while I was writing down three things I’m grateful for every day, something I’d like to start up again since a gratitude journal is a great way to boost the gratefulness mindset.

Things change when you have an overall attitude of gratitude. Both mentally/emotionally and even physically. Science has shown that you can literally change the chemistry of your brain when you start to express gratitude for things/people/situations in your life (even things that may not have occurred yet), and it’s even more powerful when paired with strong emotional feelings like joy and love.

And gratitude itself is not only a mere platitude, but also an emotion with powerful effects. When you aren’t just mentally saying the words “I’m thankful,” but also feeling that thankfulness down to your very core, that’s when your mindset shifts.

That’s when things really begin to transform.