Thankful for Pie

“Quit telling me what you’re thankful for Dillon, you tell me every day. Today shouldn’t be any different.” Yes, this is a direct quote from my wife this morning. We see so many people talking about what they’re thankful for, which isn’t a bad thing, but it did get me thinking… Are people only thankful on Thanksgiving? Don’t get me wrong, I know there are people out there that practice gratitude or attempt to more than once a year. But why do some people feel the need to only post it today? Why don’t they post what they are thankful for more often? Why do we feel the need to tell the whole world on social media that we are thankful for our family and the same day start gossiping about how their second cousin twice removed is pregnant again? I recently read an article from Forbes magazine and it listed the seven benefits of practicing gratitude;

“Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.” Practicing gratitude is very simple, whether it’s 3 minutes or 10 minutes, all it takes is creating a small amount of margin (time) in your day and truly reflecting on what we are grateful for, all things, good and bad. I may not be fully grateful for my 20k+ in student loans, but I am completely grateful that I had the opportunity to go to college (even if it was on the 7 year plan). I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people that became my friends, and I was able to play a little football while I was there. I’m extremely grateful for my cup of coffee in the morning, because its made with clean water and well because Coffee. Is. Life. I may work 12 hours a day and see my wife for 3, but I am beyond grateful and blessed for those 3 hours and I truly cherish them. Gratitude isn’t about showing the world, it’s about showing ourselves. Gratitude can be taking a crummy situation and being able to turn it around for the good, because in all reality we really don’t have it THAT bad. Lots to be thankful for here people, think of one thing right now! As for me, I’m thankful for pie.

 

Thanks for reading!

Lucy, Dillon & Ellie Bailey

 

Simple, Joy

Tis the season, right? The season we are supposed to be appreciative and grateful for all we have. Thankful for the food that fills our body, the people around us who support us, the roof over our head that keeps us warm. We have so much to be grateful for, yet there are so many people out there right this second, angrily shopping. Spending the paycheck they just got today, for a day that has moved from being appreciative some time with family to wanting the newest toys and technology. Why is this ingrained in us? Is it just because we have grown up this way and thats all we know? Lucy and I have a beautiful four foot tree that she bought at the Dollar General. Our apartment is decked with Christmas decorations she bought at a Church garage sale.

I don’t write this to see all of this come to an end, because this is the time that some look forward to all year, and I would never want to take that joy away from people. I write because I want to see Christmas and the holidays become more about the people we surround ourselves with instead of the gifts we surround ourselves with. “We’ve been told gift-giving is one of our “love languages.” This is ridiculous, and yet we treat it as gospel: I love you–see here’s this expensive shiny thing I bought you.” (The Minimalists)

Every day I see people living paycheck to paycheck, rich and poor alike. Some are just trying to keep the lights on, some can’t stop trying to live up to the lifestyle they surround themselves with. As the holidays get closer, it just makes things worse. It causes rifts in marriages. It creates a generation that is unappreciative of what they have. It creates a whole world of envy. When I leave one job, I go to another where I see consumerism at it’s finest. People mad to see a store out of a product, broken phones that they can’t afford to fix because it’s Christmas. Why do we continuously place this strain in our life for one day? Today is the day we take back the true meaning of the season and appreciate every little thing we have in this life.

Thank you for reading,

Lucy, Dillon, and Ellie Bailey