SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Thanksgiving, which many U.S. families celebrate, is resplendent with food and, we hope, gratitude.
We might savor or favor a special side dish or dessert, but the central attraction – whether meat or another nourishing choice – is a focal point. Conversation, we hope, can be positive and uplifting. In an atmosphere of goodwill, appreciation flows freely – as do smiles, quips and a sense of being truly together.
A memorable skit on Saturday Night Live years back featured a family at a nicely set table with extra servings of family drama. They don’t need to sell that in a store; each home has its own, secret recipe. What made the skit tragically funny was the incongruity of what the day aspires to, and what it can actually be.
The memorable Debbie Downer was played to the hilt by Rachel Dratsch. For examples of real-life gratitude in action, we do not have to venture far. From kids’ sharing toys in the sandbox on a sunny day, to elders walking hand-in-hand, admiring the sunset, to a courteous clerk and customer chatting .
.. mutual appreciation helps us bond and feel connected.
In a White Paper written for the Templeton Foundation and appearing on the University of California, Berkeley, website, we learn that “[E]nvy, materialism, narcissism, and cynicism” make gratitude difficult whereas “[Expressed] gratitude inspires people to be more generous, kind, and helpful (or “prosocial”); strengthens relationships, including romantic relatio.
