Encyclopedia of Gratitude

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GRATITUDE -- NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:07:25 -0700

We’re pleased to announce that the Encyclopedia of Gratitude is now available on Amazon!

The Encyclopedia of Gratitude is a wide-ranging compendium of things to be grateful for—and it may just change the way you experience everyday life. Packed with entries from E.O. Stonestreet and readers around the world, this emotional reference makes a great gift for yourself or for someone you love.

SPACE, AS A REMINDER

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:30:05 -0800

From the moment we traveled to space and looked back on this big blue ball, we changed. It was like looking in the mirror for the first time.

In science fiction, space is filled with planets ready for us to beam down onto and enjoy. These stories let us explore what it means to be human. In reality, as we peer deeper and deeper into space, we are reminded how spectacular and rare Earth really is. That observation alone is a lesson in gratitude for what we have.

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small. —Neil Armstrong

YOUR LONG OVERDUE VACATION

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:30:05 -0800

Scientific studies prove that you need a two week vacation (one week is not enough, and more than two weeks isn’t strictly necessary). When that long overdue vacation rolls around, you feel grateful before, during, and after.

You return to your regular life a better person. Better able to handle everyday stress. More productive at work. Funnier. A better lover. Okay, that last part is made up, but you know it’s true.

HOSTELS

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:31:00 -0800

It ain’t the Marriott, and thank goodness for that. Young people from all over the world get to travel on the cheap and befriend kindred spirits.

If only all international relations were made this easy. Without the dubious bedding and moldy coin-op showers.

RAIN

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:07:31 -0800

SUBMITTED TO THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GRATITUDE BY
STEFANIE NAGORKA

It’s been raining here in New Jersey for over a week now. Everything feels damp and swollen. Even the dollar bills in my wallet are limp. I was getting very tired of the rain, and then it began to peter off and hope sprung up for a sunny day.

But the rain has started up again tonight with a vengeance. Heavy hard rain beating on the tops of garbage cans is announcing itself loudly. This rain is talking to me, convincing me that it is good, that I should be grateful for it. So I’m now practicing feeling grateful for the rain, embracing the rain and loving it. I’m thinking about the way the rain nourishes the earth and washes away the old. I am grateful for the rain—and soon, I might be grateful for an ark.

WHEN THE WILDERNESS FEELS LIKE HOME

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:30:05 -0800

The wild places we visit become part of us. When we return as adults to the places where we camped with our families as children, experiencing the sights and sounds and contours of that wilderness can feel almost like visiting a childhood home. This is a real possession.

OLD FRIENDS

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:30:06 -0800

Old friends are a real treasure. They really know us. We really know them. And yet we still love each other.

The amount of time we’ve spent with someone is important—like a retirement account, friendship compounds and accrues over time. Sometimes, even the sound of your old friend’s voice on the phone can bring you comfort.

Old friend
All the stories to tell
Old friend
Could you bid me farewell
Old friend
It might be easy for another man to see

—Lyle Lovett, “Old Friend”

PEOPLE WHO FACE OBSTACLES THAT MAKE YOURS FEEL SMALL

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:30:00 -0800

There you are, feeling sorry for yourself, cursing your terrible situation. Then you meet someone who makes your problems seem trivial by comparison.

You’re reminded of what it means to be a human being, to face life with an indomitable spirit. Their strength makes you stronger.

LUCILLE BALL

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:32:00 -0800

We don’t know who has given the greatest number of people the most laughs, but Lucille Ball has to be up there, maybe at the very top. Her show I Love Lucy has aired continually in syndication since the 1950s.

Perhaps most important, Lucille Ball proved that a woman could be at once beautiful and hilarious—and in doing so, inspired generations of girls to be fearlessly funny.

Lucy, we still love you.

MOTHERS IN SPIRIT

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

SUBMITTED TO THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GRATITUDE BY
VALERIE GREEN

I am grateful for all the women that have been mothers to me in my life. Especially the ones in my teens and after my own mother had passed away. Thanx Momz!

FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:01:00 -0800

You grab a coat and step outside—everything is quiet, as only the snow can make it.

Children laugh as they make perfect angels. The world has been remade.

ELISABETH KUBLER-ROSS

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:31:00 -0800

Her 1969 bestseller, On Death and Dying, helped define the modern hospice movement. In those facing terminal illness, she saw a pattern: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. These nonlinear stages became known as the Kubler-Ross Model, and applied to people facing any loss.

She helped us understand grief itself. Her approach helped improve the mental health of millions of people facing death, and life.

Thank you, Elisabeth.

THANKSGIVING

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:28:00 -0800

This is one holiday that can be celebrated by anyone from any faith. Gratitude is universal, and all are welcome at the table. Even your idiot uncle.

The meal? The word “stuffing” says it all. And other than the family drama, is there anything that gravy doesn’t make better? The topper is the pumpkin pie, and for that you want some whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

Thanksgiving means families coming back together, often over great distances, for an annual reunion—a day of sharing, laughing, humility, pride, and joy. Eventually comes the long goodbye. Thank you. Until next year…

STEVE JOBS

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:41:00 -0700

Thanks to him, we don’t do Windows. In a world dominated by engineers who love to say no, Steve Jobs said yes—make it happen. He had a vision: to see beauty triumph over ugliness. He didn’t want us to just buy products, but to have great experiences—and we did. We still do. Thank you, Steve. We are forever grateful. See you in the cloud.

THE MUSIC AND LYRICS OF GEORGE & IRA GERSHWIN

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:24:43 -0700

They’re writing songs of love, but not for me.

Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you.

Nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try.

Summertime, and the living is easy.

’S wonderful, ‘s marvelous, that you should care for me.

The way you wear your hat, the way you sip your tea, the memory of all that, no they can’t take that away from me.

No, they can’t take that music away from us, George and Ira. Thank you.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:14:35 -0700

Suffrage is the right to vote and to run for office. Less than 100 years ago, only men had these rights (and, in most nations, only certain kinds of men).

To get their rights recognized, women had to win battles on many fronts. They fought overseas in WWI, and they fought in the streets at home, to convince the men to vote in favor of women’s rights.

Today, as voters, women can make the same enlightened or misinformed choices that men do. And as politicians, women can now be as laudable or laughable as men.

Suffragette Facts: Women who fought for the right to vote and to run for office were labeled suffragettes. The addition of the suffix was meant to be derogatory and trivializing (the label was later reclaimed with a positive association). Many suffragettes were jailed or killed. Eventually, these heroes prevailed. One by one, the democracies of the world recognized equal rights for women.

NOVOCAINE

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:42:26 -0700

Let’s see, looks like you need a filling. Oops! Make that a root canal. So… we’ll cut the top off your tooth, drill down, and pull out the nerves. Oh, I almost forgot, here’s a ruler—when you feel the pain, just whack yourself across the leg so that pain will distract you from the other pain. Ready? Here we go!

That’s what life was like before Novocaine.

Novocaine Facts: The anesthetic was invented in 1905 by German chemist Alfred Einhorn. It’s the oldest man-made anesthetic still in use today. Pity the fools who had teeth before 1905.

DAD BEHIND THE WHEEL

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:09:30 -0700

It doesn’t matter if he’s the worst driver or the best, driving with Dad is an experience to remember.

At some point in your life you realize: Dad’s driving style says something about his approach to life—how to assert yourself, be cautious, be reckless… Or maybe just how to insult bad drivers.

He has his favorite roads, and roads not taken. Points at things in the landscape that you should find noteworthy. Needing some air, he opens the window and rests his forearm on the door. The hair on his aging arm waves in the wind. He turns the radio on, changes the station in disgust, finds the music he likes. Hums a tune.

No, we are not there yet. And that’s something to be grateful for because, for better or worse, Dad’s behind the wheel.

WORKING IN THE GARDEN

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:52:28 -0700

It feels so good to be out there in the dirt, even if you have no idea what you’re doing. The simple acts of digging, weeding, watering are therapeutic. You’re giving to something other than yourself. You’re more connected to the rhythms of earth and sun. Flowers, insects, worms, animals, the whole bit.

For thousands of years, our ancestors farmed the land. It touches something deep inside us.

After the planting and the tending, there’s the sweet reward—literally the fruits of your labor. One solitary lemon you’ve managed to coax from the earth shines brighter than the whole supermarket produce section.

MONTY PYTHON

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:41:30 -0700

These bastards changed everything!

Gone was the assumption that one sketch should end properly before another began. Instead, one flowed right into another. Or invaded it. Who could tell? Chaos!

They were performers who wrote their own material. Who did they think they were, Shakespeare!? Pish!

Nothing was sacred. They took the most revered subjects—King Arthur, Lumberjacks, Sperm, Grannies, The Meaning of Life itself, even Brian—and lampooned them! Good Sir Knights were crushed by catapulted cows! Sad business.

If that weren’t enough, they played the male, female, and animal parts. Say… no… more.

Monty Python Facts: Each member of Monty Python has an asteroid named after him (9617 Grahamchapman, 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin, and 9622 Terryjones). One can foresee a day when these irregular bastards crash into Earth and crack the whole artifice in two. Right then—you keep a close eye on those skies, lad.

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