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This past week marked my very first time flying First-class thanks to my sweet hubby!
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This experience got me thinking about how Thanksgiving shouldn’t be the only day we should remember to be thankful.
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When my husband and I first got married, we couldn’t have imagined the opportunities that were ahead for us.

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We’ve been through plenty struggles in the time we’ve been together. In fact, before we were married, I’d say we had already faced the same number and level of difficulties that some people only experience after several years of marriage.  We faced several legal battles, being broke and staying in my best friend’s basement, family illnesses and deaths, and several career shifts. And all of this happened in the short span of a couple of years.  There were moments I wasn’t sure how we’d ever find our way through.
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But, as is the case with seasons of life, change comes and eventually things move in different directions.  We are thankful that when change came, we had the wisdom to make decisions that moved us in more positive directions.  We were also blessed to have each other to hold onto when things were rough.

So as I recently sat in my first-class seat and sipped my OJ (ok, ok, it was a mimosa!), I took stock of our journey… the highs and the lows. And I took a moment to look out over the clouds and thank God for bringing us through the many storms. ⠀⠀⠀⠀

It reminded me:
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1. Life gets really, truly hard at times. There are – and will be – seasons of life when you won’t know how you’ll survive and will have a hard time seeing past the bad stuff happening around you.  I encourage you to trust that there is a force bigger than you at work (whatever you believe that is called is up to you. For me, it’s God) I have found that when I lean on my faith and let things play out without trying to fix it all, I always come out the other end realizing that my struggle brought me to where I needed to be.

2. Make it a point to love and lean into the people who support you. I think there were probably moments in our journey when people questioned if/how my husband and I could stay together.  But the reality is, we couldn’t have made it here without each other.  We also make it a point to thank each other often.  Even for the small things.  Expressing gratitude and love for the people who are there for you goes a long way.  It may only take you one second, but it can completely change the dynamic of a stressful moment.  Research shows that expressing gratitude can help in maintaining your relationships… it’s easier to stick out the rough spots with someone who takes the time to express thankfulness regularly.

3. Hold on.  Gosh, that’s all I can say on this one.  Sometimes, you just have to hold on.  It may be the only thing left you can do and may feel like it takes more strength than you have left, but do it anyway.  Because the tide will turn, a new day will come, and you will be proud of yourself for making it through.  I received this poem from a sorority sister in college and now, over a decade later, I can say every word remains true.

4. You don’t need a special day to express thankfulness. Gratitude is key to well-being.  In fact there are a plethora of studies that suggest that practicing gratitude produces a range of benefits from improved physical and psychological health, to better sleep, to improved mental strength.  Personally, I believe cultivating gratitude should be just as important as all of my other daily health habits.  Brushing your teeth?  Find something to be thankful for while you scrub away.  Taking a walk?  Find something to be grateful for in the world around you.  Eating a good meal?  Find something to be grateful for as you avoid the pangs of hunger once again.  In every moment of every day, we have an opportunity to find something to be thankful for.  While I love Thanksgiving, I don’t believe we should wait for a holiday to remind us of that.

If you’re like me and life gets so crazy that you forget to find the time for this, here are a couple of ways to get yourself going…

1. Pick the same time each day, set an alarm, and then mentally identify 5 things you are grateful for.  Bonus if you can write them down in a notebook so that you have a running list to refer back to on days when you are having a hard time being grateful.
2. Get your hands on The Five Minute Journal.  It prompts you to think about all the good things in your life.  Take 5 minutes when you wake up or go to bed and fill out a page.
3. Pick an activity that you can practice gratefulness in the midst of.  Maybe you like to take walks, do yoga, or meditate. Maybe you have long commutes to and from work.  Use those activities as your cue to remind yourself of the things you are grateful for that day.
4. Put a sign on the wall in a prominent place and every time you see it, let it be your reminder to mentally find one thing to be thankful for.  I have one similar to this in my dining room and every time I see it, it reminds me to step back and remember how good my life really is.

And remember, thankfulness doesn’t have to be reserved for the big things in life.  Rather, thankfulness for the little things is where true gratitude is best cultivated, as these things add up.  For example, this morning was one of those mornings when everything just went wrong.  A couple kid meltdowns, missing items, running late… you know how that goes.  But before all that happened, I spent 10 minutes with my daughter cuddling and watching her smile and laugh.  When my day went sideways, I kept coming back to that image of her and I kept reminding myself to be grateful for those moments and for the crazy family that produces them.  It made all the difference in my mood and mindset for the rest of the day.

So I encourage you to try finding time, every day, to practice gratitude.  And I’d LOVE if you would connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and let me know how it went!

As always, Stay Healthy as Heck, KH