When there’s a holiday like Thanksgiving that is specifically dedicated to giving thanks, some might end up only explicitly doing so that one day out of the whole year. However, not commonly known to many people is the fact that the entire month of November is National Gratitude Month, giving us all an entire month to reflect on the positive aspects of our lives. It may sound a bit cliche to tell you to be more grateful, but I believe that a lot of people take the many blessings in their lives for granted.
If you are reading this article, you are likely a Tufts University student (or someone in my personal life I forced to read it). Regardless, you probably have a super busy life, and it can be true that when life gets hectic, it’s hard to find time to reflect on the positive moments. Similarly, we can subconsciously minimize the importance of seemingly simple things in our lives, like the roof we live under or the meals we consume every day. In reality, though, we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue an education at Tufts, and it is crucial for us to hold onto this, even as the political landscape in our country and across the globe gets more and more disastrous.
A few days ago, I approached an unhoused man outside of the CVS in Davis Square who I have frequently encountered on my CVS runs. He sits out front by a tree with barely any possessions and just a small cardboard sign that gives passerby a small introduction to his story, if they care to read it. I did this time and was truly appalled to hear about the pain he’d been through. There had been many times before when I rushed by him, but this time, I met his eye and offered to give him the water I had just bought for myself. He looked at me with such gratitude for this small plastic bottle as he took it from me, and it really put into perspective just how lucky I was to even be able to buy it in the first place. I still had time before I had to be back on campus, so I offered to buy him some food. He told me he couldn’t possibly ask for more than the bottle I had just given him, and I asked him if he was sure. He nodded yes. Before I turned to go, we shook hands and he expressed sincere gratitude once again for this small act of kindness I had done.
As I walked away, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I was headed back to my house at a university that costs over $80,000 a year while he and hundreds of thousands of people sat out on the streets in the cruel November cold. This thought plagues me quite frequently during the winter months. It is of course not our fault as students that the elite institutions of higher learning we attend have become so expensive. The wealth equity gap in America is an enormous societal evil that no individual is going to be able to solve (except maybe billionaires). However, that doesn’t mean each of us can’t do what we can for those who are less fortunate than us. And I believe that even if you don’t have the means or time to do good deeds for others all the time, taking a moment for reflective gratitude once a day — no matter how brief — can make a big difference. This can be done in a lot of different ways. Even just taking a moment to note in your head that you are grateful for a meal before you consume it can be impactful. Or, if you have more time on your hands, you can make a list of the things or people you are grateful for in your life. I did this recently during a tough moment, and it left me with a refreshed sense of positivity and joy.
Why exactly is gratitude so important? Well, one Harvard Health headline reads: “Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives.” That’s right — top-of-the-line research is showing that gratitude has actual health benefits and may even lead to longer lives for those who practice it. And the good news is that it is accessible to everyone. While gratitude may be part of a religious practice for some, by no means does it have to be. So during this Gratitude Month, I will leave you with the pleading words to try to be grateful for all of the good things in your life whenever you can, not just during November, but all year round. You may even live longer because of it.
