November 23, 2020
We are so grateful to be grateful. During what has been a difficult year, the staff and residents of Monticello West assisted living community in Dallas are looking forward to Thanksgiving. It’s true that Thanksgiving will look and feel different than in years past, and hopefully, than in years ahead. But we are aware of and grateful for the fact that we have much for which to be thankful.
But before we talk about the blessings in our lives, let’s talk about the importance of gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation.
‘Contagious’ is a word that we’ve heard way too often this year, and almost always as it relates to negative forces. But positive things, including happiness and doing good for others, is contagious, and in a very impactful way. Haesung (Annie) Jung, who led a related study while earning her Ph.D., noted that just like a virus, positive “behavior can also be transmitted across people.” The term ‘goal contagion’ means that individuals might adopt or pursue a goal that is implied by another person’s behavior. In other words, observing a positive perspective or action is likely to inspire others to respond similarly. So, your thankfulness has the potential to rub off on others, and on and on and on. It’s a powerful contagion!
Aside from being infectious, perhaps the greatest thing about gratitude is that it’s free. Forbes shared that “gratitude may be one of the most overlooked tools that we all have access to every day. Cultivating gratitude doesn’t cost any money, and it certainly doesn’t take much time, but the benefits are enormous.”
So, thankfulness is, ironically, a kind of a vicious cycle. If you take the time to take stock of what you have and appreciate, you, in turn, experience more positive feelings, improve your health, build stronger relationships, and deal with adversity moving forward.
Thankfulness can also promote better sleep. In fact, Irving Berlin wrote, and Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby sang about this. Remember the soulful musical lyrics: “When I’m worried, and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings…”If Bing Cosby doesn’t convince you, nothing will!
There are easy and pleasurable ways to promote or build your own inventory of gratitude. Here are a few:
During what has been a challenging year, we, at Monticello West senior living community, are thankful. The residents and their loved ones regularly share with us how grateful they are for our beautiful amenities and our caring, dedicated, creative staff. We’ve worked hard to keep the residents safe, healthy, and engaged. Our team members truly are the heroes that we hear about on the news and on social media. In turn, our staff is thankful for the residents who keep them feeling appreciated, fulfilled, and often amused.
We wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!