Practicing gratitude, by definition, involves focusing on the present moment…on appreciating your life today and what has made it good or fulfilling. The world’s most prominent researcher and writer about gratitude, Robert Emmons, defines it as “a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation for life.” On this day, Good Friday 2013, as well as being Passover week, I can’t think of a more meaningful exercise.
Here’s my gratitude list for the week:
>> New friends who instantly feel like old friends. Four people, four bottles of wine, four-and-a-half hours around a table in the West Village: the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Feeling so thankful to make such a warm and genuine connection!
>> The perfect sunshine-y day wandering around my favorite city, capped off by the world’s most perfect burger, the Black Label at Minetta Tavern. Nothing I’ve eaten since has been even remotely as scrumptious as that burger. Savoring the day (and the meal) with most of my family is one of those memorable, happy moments that last in my mind.
>> For so many reasons, I am incredibly grateful to live in a community that offers such an amazing public high school. The opportunities are boundless, the teachers are deeply caring, and the principal, John Dodig, is one of the most special human beings my family and I have had the pleasure to know. Just reading the letter he sent to parents of seniors this week gives a glimpse into the kind, sensitive nature of the man who leads our high school. And last weekend, we had the thrill of attending Staples Players’ (the student theatre group) dazzling performance of “A Chorus Line,” where I was left speechless by the caliber of talent that walks the halls with my boys. In fact, the night after we went, Marvin Hamlisch’s widow bestowed a grand honor on the group: she invited them to perform the show in June in New York City as part of a tribute to her late husband, who composed the music for “A Chorus Line.” The education, the experiences, and the support from administrators and teachers my boys have gotten at Staples is more than I ever imagined possible at any high school, public or private.
Who or what’s on your gratitude list this week?
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