What Are You Grateful For?

At the beginning of the Gratitude Graffiti Project, we asked you the question "What are you grateful for?" In the three weeks since, 162 of the library's patrons and staff responded, and hundreds more just stopped in to see the posts at Neill Public Library's Gratitude Stop.  

What we were most grateful for was our families. From great-grandpa to a twin sister, grandparents, grandchildren, parents, children, spouses and siblings were all represented. Gratitude for books and the library itself tied for second along with pets and other animals, followed closely by food, life, and love.

We were thankful were tangible things - robots, dominoes, bubbles and balloons; and intangible ones too - children's curiosity, freedom, diversity and religion. 

I have learned a new word from this project: TOLIK, a Czech word meaning "so much" or "so many". There are so many things to be thankful for, and the practice of being thankful is good for you. Studies show that practicing grateful thinking can increase your happiness level by 25%. Keeping a gratitude journal for just three weeks can improve your sleep and your energy level. As we move into the new year, I will be practicing grateful thinking and I challenge you to do the same.