The Meaning of Thankfulness
The verb “to thank” comes from a root word that means “to think or feel.” The Etymology Online website points out that “thank” is related to “thought” the way “song” is to “sing.” So the word for “memory” comes to mean “good memory.” The word for “thought” becomes “good thought.”
The connection of being thankful to thinking and feeling can enrich and deepen our experience of thankfulness.
In earlier posts, I talked about how it is easy for people who struggle with depression to live on autopilot. I even listed some of the behaviors that may reflect automatic living. But living on autopilot is not something that happens just to people who experience depression. It is easy to get to a place where we are going through the motions of life. One task follows another. One day follows the next. The rhythm of life becomes a routine. And the routine of life can become a rut.
A powerful way beyond automatic living is the practice of thankfulness. Perhaps it sounds strange to talk about practicing thankfulness. Gratitude is usually something we say or acknowledge, but if we can revive the connection between being thankful and thinking and feeling, it becomes something we experience in an intentional and ongoing way. In this season of Thanksgiving, here are a couple of ways to do that.
A Month of Thankfulness
Over the last several years, on social media, you will see people observing a Month of Thankfulness. This involves finding one thing for which you can express gratitude every day in the month of November. I think practicing gratitude can make this act even more meaningful. It is easy for this observance to become a routine. You look around, find something you like, and say you are thankful for it. Then you do the same for the next day…and the next.
Practicing thankfulness is an invitation to deepen the experience. Gratitude and gratefulness are related to the word “grace.” What would it be like to see what you pick each day not as something you have but as something that was given? If you are thankful for your house, you can go outside and just look at it the way you would look at a sunset. You can imagine that this place was once a field, until the dream and vision of a group of people decided to make this place a home. You can think of all the workers who supported their families by building this structure. You can remember some of the special times you have had in this house and imagine some of the special times awaiting you in the future. You can even remember some of the times of struggle and hurt, and yes, be thankful for them as well.
Maybe you are thankful for the plate of food sitting before you. You can take a moment to enjoy the amazing colors and texture of the food. You can sit there and take in the different aromas. You can consider all the people involved in this food being present on your table at this moment: growers, shippers, packers, grocery store workers. You can take the food into your mouth slowly, picking out and enjoying the variety of flavors.
This month of thankfulness becomes more than a list. It becomes an experience of connectedness as you realize just how many people have contributed to your life.
A Daily Review
I mentioned earlier how the rhythm of life can become a routine, and a routine can become a rut. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Rhythms and routines allow us to get the tasks of the day accomplished, tasks that are important for ourselves and others. A daily review can show us places of gratefulness in the middle of those routines.
Find a time during the day to go back through the events of the day. Do this slowly and deliberately. Don’t rush through the day; you’ve already done that. There was all that was involved in getting the kids up and off to school. Watch those moments and see if you can see moments that are touching and special. You didn’t notice them at the moment, but now you can not only see them, but also relive them. And be grateful for them. Then, mindfully go to the next moment. And the next. An exchange with your spouse. A meeting at work. The drive home. The song on the radio.
All of these are moments that you can relive and for which you can be thankful. Set aside ten minutes to do this daily reviewco. If you don’t get through the whole day, that’s fine. There is enough richness in those ten minutes to fill your heart and mind with gratitude. And it can make you more aware the next day, so that you can be present and be thankful for those moments when they are happening.
As you practice thankfulness, may the sweetness and the joy of gratitude be yours. May thanksgiving be more than a day or season; may it be a way of life.
If you are struggling with depression and would like to know more about how to overcome it, please visit my depression treatment page.