I find it curious that most people don’t value expressing that they’re grateful for what other people do for them.  If they did value a person’s kindness, wouldn’t they thank the person? This doesn’t seem to be how it is.

It’s not corny; it’s not kitsch–to keep a grateful journal.  A research study revealed that people who wrote down daily or weekly the things they were thankful for weren’t as depressed and their physical and mental health improved.

In my own life I reap the benefit of writing news articles at HealthCentral for other people to read and get inspired by.

We need to rethink exactly what the hell it is we’re supposed to be thankful for at Thanksgiving.  This once-a-year tradition hardly counts as the remedy to the ongoing lack of gratitude in American society.

I can’t talk about how it is in the UK or India or elsewhere in the world.  I only see with my own eyes in America that a significant number of people take and take and take without expressing thanks or without giving things to others in return.

If you’ve had a better experience, I’d love to hear about it.

Saying “please” and “thank you” opens doors.  A quotation gets it right: “Courtesy costs nothing but buys things that are priceless.”  I write about this habit in one of my books.

Thank you for reading my blogs.  Thank you for commenting on my blog entries when you’re able to.