The Gratitude Post

In his Wall Street Journal "Moving On" column yesterday, Jeffrey Zaslow suggests "There may be a positive byproduct of our times: a decrease in the urge to complain." He presents the idea that as we move further into the throes of recession, "we're seeing a return to Depression-era stoicism and an appreciation of simpler things." It's no longer cool to complain. In fact, with rampant job losses, pay cuts, frozen bonuses, work furloughs and businesses faltering left and right, many people are taking stock and counting their blessings. Job satisfaction, he reports, is actually up. Seems it's a bit easier to be grateful for a paycheck when many are doing without.  

Zaslow closes his article with a recommendation from Dr. Sherene McHenry, a professor of counseling at Central Michigan University, who says we should "write down three things we're grateful for every day-no matter how simple they might seem." 

My "Grateful List" today includes:

1. Heat: The pilot light on our furnace went out this past weekend and for the life of me, I couldn't re-light it. While it wasn't freezing outside, it was cold enough for me to layer up and plug in my dusty old space heater. My husband returned home a few hours later and within no time, our furnace was up and running. I was so relived. The thought of going without heat, or calling in a service technician over the weekend (and paying sky-high weekend rates) was troubling. So this morning, when I rolled out of bed and, in mere seconds, adjusted our home's temperature from 59 to 68 degrees, I was eternally grateful. I took a moment to acknowledge how lucky I am to have heat, water, electricity and food at my fingertips. In many parts of the world (including parts of our own country), this isn't the case. 

2. Work - I work for myself and have the luxury - most days - of setting my own schedule. I work with wonderful clients, inspiring colleagues and talented media professionals. Today, I have a job and that's a good thing indeed. 

3. Coffee - The aroma, the taste, the kick-in-the-butt wake-up call it provides.  

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. What's on your "Grateful List" today?