Hello Friends,

As my US friends are about to be forced to express our gratefulness under duress at the Thanksgiving dinner table (or was that just me?), let's consider what gratitude might actually mean.

Thoughts live in the brain, yes—but when I “choose” positive thoughts, am I practicing control… or am I refusing to accept the reality of the state I’m in?

Mantras—do they really anchor me in the present moment, or do they pull me toward something else?

Gratitude often points back to a struggle I’ve already overcome. But I wonder: is some of that struggle still lingering? When I make a gratitude list, am I appreciating what’s here, now—or am I honoring a past moment that shaped me?

Appreciation feels different. It’s alignment with what is. A settling into the present, into the goodness that’s already here.

At the risk of asking you to feel something (at this point we all know how I feel about that), what would it feel like to appreciate all that is this Thanksgiving?

Onwards, Amy

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Content is this email is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice or a replacement for therapy. This is, unapologetically, Amy’s soapbox. If something here struck a nerve, chances are you helped spark it—so own your part. The musings won’t last forever, but while they do, consider them an invitation to reflect, laugh, or squirm a little.