As we approach Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about a simple idea that’s easy to say, harder to practice, and powerful when we actually live it.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about a simple idea that’s easy to say, harder to practice, and powerful when we actually live it.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about a simple idea that’s easy to say, harder to practice, and powerful when we actually live it.
Most of us grow up believing happy people are thankful — that gratitude is something that naturally bubbles up once everything in life is going right. But the older I get, the more I see the truth running in the opposite direction. It’s not that happiness creates gratitude. It’s that gratitude creates happiness.
Thankfulness is an art. It’s intentional. It asks us to pause long enough to notice the good in a world that makes it far too easy to focus on what’s missing. And it doesn’t require perfection, prosperity or a life free of stress. In fact, some of the most thankful people I know are those who have walked through real hardship. They’ve learned that gratitude isn’t about denying the difficult parts — it’s about choosing not to let those parts define everything else.
As business owners, as community members, and as people doing our best to build something meaningful in our little corners of Washington, we get a front-row seat to the generosity and resilience of this region. We see volunteers who show up before dawn, small-business owners who keep serving their neighbors through thick and thin, teachers and first responders who pour themselves into work that often goes unseen. Every day, we’re reminded how much good exists when we bother to look for it.
On Thursday, many of us will gather around tables with family, friends, or maybe just a quiet meal for one. However you spend the day, I hope you’ll take a moment to sit with this truth: gratitude isn’t a response. It’s a choice. A practice. A way of seeing.
If we can practice the art of being thankful — for the people around us, for the work we get to do, for the communities that make this region feel like home — happiness has a way of following.
From all of us here at Ward Media, thank you for being part of our community. Wishing you a warm, peaceful, and truly grateful Thanksgiving.
Terry Ward
Publisher, Kitsap Business
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