Thankfulness brings two words to mind for me: Intentionality and Awareness.
It means that I am aware of all that I have to be thankful for, and it means that I am intentional about remembering and seeing all that I have to be thankful for. Without these two words, thankfulness is very difficult for me, and I think most people.
Thankfulness is defined according to Merriam Webster as: “conscious of benefit received”. The word conscious is what sticks out to me. Whether big or small, we have reasons to be thankful all the time. The question is, are we conscious of them? Thankfulness does not occur automatically and is not something that occurs in seemingly perfect situations. Some of the most thankful people I know would seem to have the least amount of reasons to be thankful on paper. Thankfulness is something that is produced out of a decision to seek out the reasons to be thankful, rather than waiting for them to appear.
For me, thankfulness means seeing my life for what it is and striving to be aware of the reasons I have to be thankful. It is a mindset that I must intentionally pursue.
A few things I am thankful for are:
1.) My faith
2.) My family
3.) The people around me
4.) My job
5.) Sunshine/Nature
6.) Water to drink
7.) Music
8.) Adjustments
9.) Books
10.) A body that is made to adapt and heal
-Dr. Sophie Mills, Chiropractor