Here in the DU newsroom we’re thankful for a lot of things. Some of these have immortalized themselves in the form of turkey feathers attached to our Thanksgiving thankful turkey.
We’re thankful for the gospel and the first amendment.
We’re grateful for pizza and many of our upcoming graduation dates.
We’re also quite appreciative of the anonymous Sexy Sax Man who made an appearance on Halloween.
This time of year seems to bring out the thankful in all of us.
For the entire month of November we reminisce on things we are grateful for. We make sure to tell others how grateful we are for the things they do. We post Facebook statuses to help remind ourselves and others to be grateful this month.
Maybe we should just change the name of November to the month of Gratitude.
Isn’t it the only time of year we’re allowed to express gratitude?
If we followed the pattern November would be the month of Grateful, December the month of Giving and January the month of Renewed Gym Memberships.
Isn’t that why those months were created in the first place?
People say gratitude decreases stress, increases happiness and makes people more appreciative for family, friends and things that surround them.
It’s like a magic cure-all.
It doesn’t seem fair we cram all that goodness into 30 days.
Why not extend it to all 365?
It’s obvious this trend needs to change, but how do we do it?
First off, maybe the Facebook statuses aren’t such a bad idea — they’re just used too little.
Who doesn’t like to hear they did something for someone and were appreciated for it?
Maybe a hand-written note is too hard to get out (even though they tend to say so much more than you even write down). You could send it out in 140 characters or less on Twitter, or send a quick message through Facebook.
Not matter how it’s done, it will mean a lot to the person you send it to.
You could also try keeping a “thankful journal.”
These little wonders force the diligent to record what they’re thankful for every night before going to bed.
Maybe it starts out small, one or two things scribbled quickly before crashing for the night, but eventually you’ll find yourself relishing in gratitude — even on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.
If none of these work, try grabbing a gratitude buddy. Maybe that friend can help you find the silver lining around your gloomy rain cloud.
You can exchange your own thankful notes, maybe not talking about how grateful you are for each other (though it couldn’t hurt) but telling the other something beautiful you saw that day that needed to be shared.
You can create positive energy by talking through particularly ungrateful moments in an upbeat and understanding way.
Before you know it, you’ll be seeing gratitude in everything you do.
If you’re still stuck in a rut, finding yourself only capable of being grateful in November, we have another, last ditch effort you can try.
Go in your phone. Open the alarm. Set it to go off daily. Title it “Be Grateful” and time it so it goes off at 5 p.m. every day.
Thanks to modern technology, you’ll be reminded to be grateful for at least one thing every single day.
Don’t believe us? Just try it.
So go out into the world, continue being grateful this month, but don’t let it slack once the Santas and reindeer take over in December.
Write a note, keep a journal, grab a buddy or set your alarm — whatever you do, remember to be grateful.
And remember, too, how grateful we are for you. Thank you for reading, for laughing and for making us laugh too.
This viewpoint represents the opinion of The Daily Universe and not necessarily that of BYU, its administration or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
