It’s hard to believe, but we’re already into November. Where has the year gone to? With the dawning of the second to last month of the year, I’m certain that many of our thoughts turn to the impending holiday season. Already we’re seeing Christmas paraphernalia sprouting on shop shelves. However, before we set our minds fully on Christmas, which I try not to think too much about- at least decoration wise- until the beginning of December- we have a very important holiday here in the United States. Thanksgiving.

While Thanksgiving might evoke images of turkey dinners and pecan or pumpkin pies in our minds, it’s actually a holiday that reminds us to be grateful. I could spend a great deal of time sharing scientific backed research into the importance of gratitude, but that would bore me to write, and perhaps bore you, dear reader, to read, and that would never do. Suffice it to say that a plethora of scholars and research scientists concur that a person in possession of a spirit of thanksgiving improves their life in every arena from their emotional and physical health to their social, professional, and personal relationships. The long and short of it is:

The caveat is that thanksgiving is a decision. Just like love, there are days we don’t wake up chipper with our positivity amped up. There are days we’re just not feeling it. That’s reality. So, to maintain an attitude of gratitude, we must be intentional.

Being intentional is something I’ve written at length about here at Whiskers on Kittens. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to see multiple links to other offerings on the subject of intention.) But, I’ve never actually delved into what makes intention so important in regards to thanksgiving.

Intention:

1. Direction of the mind; attention; hence, uncommon exertion of the intellectual faculties; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness.

2. The act of intending or purposing

3. That which is intended, purposed, or meant; that for which a thing is made, designed, or done; intent; purpose; aim; meaning; desire; often in the plural, especially with regard to marriage.

4. A straining or putting forth of action; exertion; intension.

Look at the last word in the fourth definition: INTENSION. Wrapped into the understanding of the word intension is intensity. You are IN a TENSION.

Tension:

1. The act of stretching, stringing, or making tense; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the condition of being bent or strained.

To be in tension, you’re in a place or period of stretching and straining. You’re being shaped. On a molecular level, such as with surface tension, you’re actually producing a cohesiveness that enables you to resist external forces.

So, when you take your intention and give it direction of the mind, purposing your attention, and aiming your actions toward being thankful, you produce changes even on a molecular level that will lead to a life of greater happiness and a more profound sense of fulfillment. Isn’t that something we all want?

In the numerous articles and journals that I read to prepare this post, the one element that I saw recurring is how developing an attitude of gratitude made people less self-centered. This makes perfect sense because to be grateful requires maintaining a level of outward focus that makes us more aware of those around us as well as our surroundings. It means we can’t exist in a mental frame of mind that considers our wants, desires, and self-ward interests before all others because we’re being purposeful not to focus on ourselves.

To have an attitude of gratitude means we are actively teaching ourselves to see the world around us and the people in it. When we’re actually looking and seeing, we have a heightened awareness of the small benevolences to be thankful for. And, because gratitude produces more positivity, we can find ourselves stepping out being generous to those around us. Thanksgiving makes us more benevolent by default.

For the month of November, I’ll be writing several posts that will revolve around gratitude. I shall endeavor to approach them from a more literary or cinematic perspective, so we can see prime examples of how people have incorporated intentional thanksgiving into their lives. (Honestly, I have three ideas I’m playing with right now and they make me very excited to share them.)

But, can we set an intention together to take five minutes every day this month and dwell on something we are thankful for. These do not need to be grand, huge things. They can be small, too. Like how the barista got your coffee just right this morning or how much you really, really love a good piece of chocolate. Whatever it is, big or small, give yourself a couple of minutes and let your mind dwell on those things. I’ve read the best time to do this is right away in the morning and to write down those thoughts. Call it an experiment. Let’s see if at the end of the month, you notice anything inward that has changed in you for the better.

So, dear readers, what’s something you’re thankful for today?