Reasons to be Cheerful?

In this challenging world, in which so many end up complaining about everything that is wrong and not according to their preferences, I do believe that gratitude is an important practice.

I won't go into this at any length as I have written about it before, but I do sometimes find myself struggling to find reasons to be cheerful and grateful. After all, a (metaphorically speaking) sharp stick in the bum and a poke in the eye isn't exactly a reason to be cheerful... and it increasingly feels like that's what's on the menu.

I find myself writing these words against the backdrop that it will be Thanksgiving in a couple of days, here in the USA.

The "challenge" is that the things to be grateful for grow smaller and smaller with each year, while the calamities and setback seem to be growing ever larger.

And that makes it harder to be cheerful...

Alas, I don't see the trend changing, anytime soon. The reality of daily life — for most people — is so far removed from the headlines about the economy that it's not even funny.

I sometimes wonder if I would feel better about life if I just didn't even read any news headlines. After all, it all seems like gloom and doom, these days. Perhaps what I find most distressing is the very obvious chasm between the official news and the actual experiences of people alive and living at "street level."

For example, the government claims that prices on goods and services are coming down... but — for example — today I got my Internet bill, and my service has suddenly risen from $70.00 a month to $95.00 a month. That's way more than just a handful of change.

Meanwhile, the latest changes to the laws in this country means that my health insurance premiums could more than double by the end of the year. Which effectively means that I will be joining the ranks of the uninsured in 2026, since there is no way I can afford the premiums.

Not much to be cheerful about, there!

But hey, there are little things like my cats and Thanksgiving dinner that I definitely do feel good about!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about YOU? Are you celebrating Thanksgiving? Do you have reasons to be cheerful? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2025.11.22 00:15 PST
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