Five Minutes of Gratitude Nerdiness – Today we’re talking about my favorite prayer: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The Sound of Music, released in 1965 when I was four years old, was the first movie I saw with my mother, my aunt Crystell, my cousin Susie, and my Grandma Ayres. I have no idea who had the money for tickets or what lead us all to go to the movies. These were women who worked hard, who were married to farmers, who never indulged in movie dates. And yet, that’s what we did one Saturday afternoon. Went to see Julie Andrews fall in love at the Odeon Theater in Tucumcari. And sing.

Wow could she ever sing! (So could Christopher Plummer, the guy I’ll forever be grateful for having the good sense to fall in love with the governess before the movie ended. RIP Mr. Plummer. You set high marks for all the leading men in my life.)

One of my favorite songs was Do, Re, Mi. The first line is “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.” If you’re under forty and haven’t ever seen the film, here’s a link to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drnBMAEA3AM 

You can thank me later for getting this tune stuck in your head.

Now that I have this song earwormed in your brain, here’s the point. To see the power of gratitude, we have to start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start. Start before your brain even knows what’s happening.

First thing each morning before you pick up your smart phone or your tablet, before you catalog the tasks at hand, the difficulties you face, the hurdles you need to get past, simply say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Say it as a prayer, as a meditation, aloud or silently. But work to make it the first thing you consciously allow into your thoughts. If you are in a relationship with someone you care about, let it be the first thing you say to them.

This was a gift I received from Anne Lamott, one of my favorite five writers (stayed tuned in the next couple of weeks for a list of the other four). She says that the three best prayers are “thank you, thank you, thank you”, “please, please, please,” and “help, help, help.” When I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer, “help, help, help” was my incessant prayer. Followed by “please, please, please.”

It was only when I changed both to “thank you, thank you, thank you” that I began to see a difference in my mental attitude, when the light at the end of the tunnel started to seem like it might not, after all, be a train.

By starting at the very beginning of the day, you pave the way for how the rest of the day will go. Yes, there will be hurdles. I guarantee there will be ugly moments. And no, I’m not suggesting that your disregard difficulties. But by saying “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” you prepare yourself for noticing that life has the potential to be joyful.

This won’t come naturally the first week. In fact, you’ll resist. You’ll think this is silliness. Pollyanna-ish hooey.

But indulge me for at least five days. When you wake, simply say, “thank you, thank you, thank you.” In a few days, it will become second nature. You won’t even know it’s happening. Before you know it, your first conscious moments will be centered around gratitude.

That’s how superpowers are developed. One day at a time.

Let me know how things are going. I promise to respond to every comment personally. Not a bot, not an assistant. Just me and you, talking. Because I’m grateful you’re here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.