Thanksgiving in August - A Quick Thought

One of the great things about doing this exercise for the month of August is the reminder that I have had to give myself to be grateful for the things that I have in life even when I am upset or depressed or – rather more frequently – feeling like I don't want to be grateful, that I might want to be selfish or difficult or complain. I say this today from a place of feeling slightly lonely and sensing the long stretch of the dissertation before me as I hit a rougher patch of writing. What this exercise for the month has taught me, though, is that reflection on gratitude can be a productive way out of doldrums like these, even when I would prefer to dwell in them instead of move past them.