Gratitude With Attitude, Being Thankful Despite It All

The world is held together with duct tape and denial. The oceans are warming; billionaires are trying to colonize Mars; and half the country is one Facebook notification away from losing their frickin’ minds over beef tallow and Tylenol. 

Even here in Sonoma County—our pastoral bubble of redwoods and rosé—the vibe is vaguely dystopian, especially during the holidays, when that old adage about being able to choose one’s friends but not one’s family makes the crisis lines ring like the Horn of Winter.

So, as we head into Thanksgiving again, trying to muster the emotional range to feel thankful despite it all may seem positively Sisyphean. Fortunately, gratitude turns out to be one of the best legal mood-altering substances available—and it’s free. For now. 

Psychologists define gratitude as a personal orientation toward noticing life’s gifts—not the sham “thoughts and prayers” kind, but the genuine micro-moments of “oh hey, things aren’t completely terrible.” Harvard Medical School reports…