What does it mean to be grateful?  What does gratitude look like? Oftentimes, our culture goes from Halloween right into the Christmas season passing right by Thanksgiving.  We focus on the food and football but what about giving thanks?
    

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Click HERE to share a 'lollipop moment'.
"It's not happiness that makes you grateful, it's gratefulness that makes you happy."
           ~David Steindl-Rast
Watch the TED talk below.
As you watch, jot down Mr. Steindl-Rast's 'recipe' for increasing a person's happiness. 
Do you agree with his 'recipe'? Why or why not?
We will use the following organizer to collect our research on how gratitude is presented in the arts as well as our thoughts about the ideas the artworks present. You will find the information you collect on the organizer important for your final assessment.

GRATITUDE in Visual Art

"This a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before." 
          -Maya Angelou
Picture
"The Thankful Poor", Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1894.
The Four Freedoms by Norman Rockwell 
     Click HERE for a discussion of these iconic works.

GRATITUDE in Music

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
          -Melody Beattie (via Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of Simple Abundance)
Click HERE for more information about "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.
Click HERE to learn about the Shakers. 
Lyrics to the Shaker humn, "Simple Gifts"

'Tis the gift to be simple
'Tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
It will be in the valley of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right
Click HERE for a variety of more contemporary songs that address the idea of giving thanks.

GRATITUDE in Drama and Literature

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." 
          Epictetus
Picture
"The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein

StoryCorps - to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. Click HERE to learn more about this project. 

GRATITUDE in Dance 

I’m so happy and grateful for…my friends and family, music, the ocean, every penny I have, Law of Attraction, a wonderful world of opportunities, dancing, delicious food, the roof over my head, my health, my freedom, my talents and gifts, the Sun, Moon and the Stars, LOVE, the experiences that make me who I am, learning new things, my bright future, Peace, Magic, giving and receiving, Energy, my life, rain forests, meditation, the Universe, hugs and kisses, my coaches and mentors, ME, books, computers, wisdom, smiling, entertainment, planet Earth, and the Gratitude Dance! ~ Matt Ashdown
Matthew Ashdown and Brad Morris, known globally as “The Gratitudes ” started the Gratitude Dance out of moment of celebration at a coffee shop in Victoria, BC while writing their book on Manifesting Awesomeness. Out of this little jig came the idea to film it and put it on Youtube. Little did they know that it was just the beginning of a journey of understanding the power of gratitude and the power it has had on our lives.

To enhance gratitude, follow this three step process:
#1. Write down what you’re grateful for at this moment.
#2. Watch the Video
#3. DO THE DANCE!