Thankfulness-Even though I Don't Want to

My, how quickly fall has arrived.  Here in southern California it can at times be easy to forget that fall is in deed here.  The days are still sunny and warm and the leaves are still green.  I did however, get the chance to drive up in the mountains this week and we saw first hand that fall is in full swing.  Pumpkins are ready for carving, apple cider is being made, and leaves are vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange. 

It is with this holiday season approaching that I am currently stuck on this thought of giving thanks.   I'll be honest with you and tell you that I don't really place much value in all the "I'm thankful for..." stuff you see this time of year.  I figure if people really want to develop an attitude of thankfulness it is something they should work on all year round not just when Thanksgiving is around the corner. 

However, I have found myself in recent days very critical of others when they are complaining.  I typically ignore people who are frequent complainers, but I have brushed off people this week and even this evening who have simply hinted at little complaints.  My mind has little red flags that jump up when I am being less compassionate towards others than I should be and it tells me I need to change my behavior.  In my head, the opposite of complaining is being thankful.

So, even though this is definitely not my favorite time of year to work on developing an attitude of thankfulness this is where I am headed.  I don't like it when people are critical of me so I am making a conscious choice to work on developing an attitude of thankfulness. 

Way back in June a friend and I had a good conversation about choosing to be thankful every day.  She suggested each day you have to pick out something different to be thankful for and write it down.   It keeps you motivated to find new ways to be thankful but also lets you read back through everything you have already given thanks for.  I didn't start this back then but I'm going to give it a shot now. 

I can't stop the people in my life from complaining but I can change the way I respond.