How thankful are you?
   Do you, each day, express your gratitude to those deserving of acknowledgement?
   I know I don’t, certainly not often enough, and I have so much to be thankful for. We all do. Yet, how many of us practice an attitude of gratitude?
   There are so many things to be thankful for, and even more people.
   I was reminded very early this morning as I listened to a podcast. It was too dark to get up and too warm under my covers, so I selected the most recent TED Radio Hour episode entitled The Gratitude Chain.
   In the podcast, lifestyle experimental journalist A.J. Jacobs talks about his latest book Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, in which he thanks everybody involved in making his morning cup of coffee; from the barista to the workers who harvested the beans.
   Coffee is a subject near and dear to my heart, especially morning coffee (the best kind), so I settled in for a good listen.
   Jacobs has a reputation for deeply exploring a concept when he writes, perhaps most widely known for his 2007 book The Year of Living Dangerously: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.
   Interesting about this particular extended TED talk was that Jacobs included in podcasts that inspired him, those he was most thankful for, during the writing of the book.
   I could write so much more on this topic, and the overall benefits of gratitude, but would encourage you to listen to this work.
   I’m thankful I did.
   I was again reminded that we don’t express our personal gratitude enough to those who care, those who listen, and those who furnish our lives with good food, good company and conversation and, yes, good coffee.
   Thank you.

02/22/2021                                        j.g.l.