A few months ago I was visiting someone in the hospital. They were on the 18th floor.
To my great annoyance, the elevator began stoping on every floor in between.
But that annoyance quickly diminished. At almost every stop, a nurse wheeled in a wheelchair, or an orderly pushed in a gurney.
When I got to the 18th floor, I said a silent prayer of gratitude. How lucky I was to be able to walk, to breathe on my own, to have the time to visit a friend in need.
I was embarrassed to have felt annoyed at an extra-long elevator ride.
Do you struggle with gratitude? Do you look around and tend to see more darkness than light?
Then try this exercise: every night, before you go to sleep, write down three things you are grateful for.
The technique was pioneered by Dr. Martin Seligman. It has worked consistently with people of all ages. It's one of the exercises in The Happiness Prayer.
Gratitude is more than attitude. It is more than saying thanks. It is reminding ourselves that life itself is a gift from God.
I hope and pray that your Thanksgiving, wherever you are, is filled you with gratitude and love. Shalom, Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Rabbi Evan Moffic
Congregation Solel
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