i keep having to remind myself so I keep going back to Friar Lawrence (in Romeo and Juliet) to help me to be thankful. You remember Romeo is very unhappy at the situation he has found himself in but Friar Lawrence reminds him of everything that he should be grateful for:

What, rouse thee, man! Thy Juliet is alive,

For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead—

There art thou happy. Tybalt would kill thee,

But thou slew’st Tybalt—there art thou happy.

The law that threatened death becomes thy friend

And turns it to exile—there art thou happy.

It’s called counting your blessings, and I do try to. You know the Homes Stress scale? The Holmes and Rahe stress scale is a list of 43 stressful life events that can contribute to illness. Death of a spouse (or loved one) rates 100 stress points, on the way down to Christmas (12) —or Thanks-giving?—and a traffic ticket (11). Well, you might fall short of life-threatening stress, but these events can make you unhappy or sometimes ill. Think about it but not too much.

I know I am blessed. I have no right to complain. I should be grateful, not un-.

You too.