Thread by @dianabutlerbass

Today is #WorldGratitudeDay. Take some time today for reflection. Gratefulness is about our emotions -- what we feel -- and our ethics -- how we choose to act in relation to those emotions.

You feel something when you receive a gift. It may be a gift from a friend, a gift of good news, or a gift of nature. Gifts make us catch our breath: feel surprise, relief, joy, and make us aware of the grace of receiving. Gratitude comprises all these feelings.

And those feelings are good for you -- feelings of gratitude are associated with better health, deeper relationships, and higher life satisfaction! (There's lots of great science on this.)

But gratitude is more than feelings. It moves beyond emotions to the choices we make about serving and caring for others. Gratitude is more than personal. It extends to community.

When we feel grateful, we can choose to acknowledge the gift and the giver and return our appreciation with words and tokens of thanks. Or, we can acknowledge the gift by sharing more gifts with others ("paying it forward").

So, gratefulness is a really good and life-giving emotion. And it is a choice to respond to gifts by giving to others. It reaches from our hearts outward to set new tables of thanksgiving in the world.

Today, consider the gifts of your life. Look for those blessings, things that you sometimes take for granted. Move beyond entitlement or possessiveness and open yourself toward experiencing the generosity of your family, friends, nature, and God.

Feel that.

And then, surprise someone with a gift. A physical gift, a gift of words, an appreciation. Send a gift to an organization that does good. Encourage a group or community that engages in daily service to make the world better. Pick up some trash. Tell a teacher how great they are.

Drop off some food at a pantry. Tell a clergy person that you appreciate what they do. Thank a waiter or service worker by name.

Pay it forward. Share gifts today, randomly and joyfully.