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Gratitude For Antagonists

I am friends with a young man named Rich. He suffers from depression and low-level paranoia. Although he lives in a safe neighborhood, he is certain that there are prowlers outside his home. Those thoughts keep him awake at night and I can’t but help wonder if part of the cause is a fear ofContinue reading “Gratitude For Antagonists”

Gratitude For Taste

I don’t know if I am alone in this or not – I love my sense of taste – and I don’t mean in fashion. That sense is near a zero. If my shirt and pants are similar shades, I’m good. No, what I am talking about is the literal sense of taste. Now, IContinue reading “Gratitude For Taste”

Gratitude For Ego

According to psychologists, the ego is the part of the personality that handles the external world. To put it into context, Freud separated the personality into three parts: the ego, the id, and the superego. The id is the part of our nature that displays the impulses and unconscious desires, while the superego is ourContinue reading “Gratitude For Ego”

Gratitude For Journals

It doesn’t seem that journaling would be a hard thing. Look at any retail outlet with a stationary section, and note the journals and dairies available – hard covers, soft covers, post it sized pages, legal sized pages, and more colors than a psychedelic rainbow. Yet, for the life of me, I struggle to putContinue reading “Gratitude For Journals”

Gratitude For Christmas

For myself, the expectation of Christmas has changed over the years. When I was young, my brothers and I hardly slept. My parents gave up on sleep somewhere between five and six in the morning. Our present opening ritual ran from the youngest to the oldest, each opening their gift, while everyone else looked onContinue reading “Gratitude For Christmas”

Gratitude For Tears

Jim was reading in the living room when his younger daughter entered. She dropped onto the couch where he was sitting and let him know that his older daughter Diana lay in her room sobbing. Jim knocked on her door, but she didn’t want to talk. Earlier, after a miscommunication, he got after her, whileContinue reading “Gratitude For Tears”

Gratitude For Worry

Jim watched as Jennifer talked to a co-worker. Jennifer talked softly with a soft inflection of humor. Jim thought it was curious and told another associate that when Jennifer talked to him, she spoke confidently with assertiveness – not with the humor that he noticed in the earlier conversation. A moment later he looked aroundContinue reading “Gratitude For Worry”

Gratitude for Inspirational Quotes

Last week, at Thanksgiving dinner with my family, someone brought up Robin Hood movies and specifically the Costner version. One of my brothers quoted the cousin of the sheriff, who, after the sheriff threatened to gut a foe with a spoon, was asked by his henchman“Why a spoon, cousin?” I quickly responded, “Because it’ll hurtContinue reading “Gratitude for Inspirational Quotes”

Gratitude For Self-Esteem

Jake has a problem. He’s a popular kid in high school with many friends and acquaintances. His eye found an attractive young woman that he shared a couple of afternoon classes with. After discussing it with his closest friends, he asked her out to the upcoming prom. She agreed and they joined three other couplesContinue reading “Gratitude For Self-Esteem”