Table of Contents
Advance praise for
Living Life as a Thank You
The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude
by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons
I have learned that the greatest joy and happiness comes from what we do to enrich other peoples lives and our own spiritual lives. Living Life as a Thank You shows you how to connect with other people from a place of thankfulness, which in turn promotes greater harmony and happiness for all.
Marla Maples, actress, television host,
and spiritual motivator
Living Life as a Thank You is a healing guidebook for people looking to bring more gratitudeas well as more joy and stronger social connectionsinto their lives. It reminds us that life is not a rehearsal, but something to be celebrated and savored to the fullest. I am convinced that if readers take even one small gratitude practice from this book they will bring greater happiness into their lives while contributing to the greater good. Inspirational and spiritual, this book is a great how-to companion for people following the science of appreciation.
Christine Carter, Ph.D., executive director of the
Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and author of
Raising Happiness and The Other Side of Silence
Twenty years ago, we gathered friends together to write about, talk about, and do Random Acts of Kindness, and from this small group a kindness movement was born that circled the globe. With Living Life as a Thank You, Nina and Mary Beth have tapped into something just as deep and powerful that can truly transform peoples livesour deep and abiding need to feel and live from a place of gratitude.
Will Glennon, founder, The Random Acts of Kindness
Foundation and author of Practice Random Acts of Kindness
This book will put a smile on your face and a lift in your step, and give you plenty of reminders that saying thanks costs nothing, but delivers a lot!
Jan Yanehiro, Emmy-winning broadcaster
and author of This is Not the Life I Ordered
Thank you, thank you, thank you for Living Life as a Thank You. I am grateful for the inspiring stories, the simple, clear exercises with profound results, and the empowering reminder that an attitude of gratitude boosts self-esteem, well-being, and appreciation for the precious gifts that fill our days. This is a must-read for everyone who desires peace and happiness.
Susyn Reeve, author of Choose Peace & Happiness
In our day and age, the daily practice of gratitude and acceptance is arguably the most important spiritual routine we should all embrace. Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons found an entertaining and wonderful way to make it easy for us to live life as one big thank you!
Gahl Eden Sasson, author of A Wish Can Change Your Life
To Martin, Mara, and Jaime, who give me lots of
reasons to say thank you every day
Nina Lesowitz
To Caitlin, Thomas, and Emily, who let me share my
love daily, with gratitude
Mary Beth Sammons
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Nina Lesowitz
Just as a journey begins with a single step, opening your heart to new possibilities begins with the seed of an idea. For me, the concept of gratitude was planted by Mary Jane Ryans book Attitudes of Gratitude. I read the book over ten years ago and planned to return to itone daywhen I was ready to let go of my patterns and embrace a new way of being. Thank you, Mary Jane.
I am so grateful to everyone at Viva Editions, with a special place in my heart for Brenda Knight for her guidance and support. I am thankful every day for Mary Beth Sammons. Her entry into my life as a business partner, co-author, and friend was felicitous, and continues to feel like a daily miracle.
For some people, gratitude is an intrinsic part of their spirit. My late mother, Tomoko, was the embodiment of a grateful attitude; memories of her inspire me as I attempt to channel her natural ability to appreciate lifes many simple and profound blessings. My husband, Martin, inspires me with his innate sense of gratitude, and I am eternally grateful to him for enhancing my life in so many ways.
To my children, Mara and Jaime: how did I get so lucky to be your mom? Once, I dreamed of having two daughters who would grow into women I would love to be friends with, and now, eighteen-plus years later, you are that and so very much more.
To all the researchers in the field of gratitude studies, thank you for enlightening us about the transformative power of thankfulness. To the individuals featured in this book, I am most appreciative. It is an honor to be able to share your stories. To my good friends and family, thank you for all that you bring to my life.
Mary Beth Sammons
Be careful what you pray for is a mantra Ive been paying close attention to in recent years. When we launched this project to understand the power of gratitude in peoples lives, I said a silent prayer that in the process I would learn more about how to manifest it in my own life. The universe responded promptly: I lost my job while taking care of my aging father, and then I lost him too. The worst recession in decades swooped in. My challenge had presented itself. I was determined not to bemoan the losses, but to embrace the light that could be found in the darkness.
It sounds corny, but the touch of adversity has propelled me to embrace the good in every moment. My father, Paul Von Driska, used to call it finding a little Christmas in every day. I learned how to be grateful for simple pleasures. I learned to pay attention to the small moments, to the extraordinary people in my everyday lifeand to practice saying thank you to those who joined me in my new landscape for living. I quickly realized we were on to something.
I am grateful first to Brenda Knight and Nina Lesowitz for the opportunity to see the difference thankfulness makes in daily livingnot just in others lives, but in my own. It is a wonderful experience to work with colleagues on a project one you feel passionately about, and even better to become friends in the process.
I am especially thankful for my three childrenCaitlin, Thomas, and Emilyand the light they bring into my life. They keep me on the edge of my seat, and they have fulfilled my life dream to be a mom and to learn how much one can love.
I thank all my friends who stand by me and make me smile.
And I thank all those who shared their stories in this book to inspire others. You captured my heart, and I know you will bring joy and new hope into the lives of others. Thank you for sharing your lives with me.
FOREWORD
Ive received so many wonderful e-mails and notes from folks who have read on the news that my husband, Bob, is back in Iraq and Afghanistan three years after his injury in Balad from a roadside bomb. So many people have been so supportive of his desire to go back in honor of those who have served, who are serving, and who have returned from the wars injured or different.
Ive subconsciously waited for this day to come for almost two years now, once I realized Bob would recover enough to go back to the work he loves. I give thanks that he can pursue his dreams again.
