LETTERS: Say Grats at Dinner

To the editor:

When we read about problems and tragedies it’s easy to become distressed. To increase happiness, think about things for which you have gratitude. My family does this at the end of dinner when we say “grats.” This involves one person telling us three things for which she or he is grateful. Then we have a conversation about what was said. Being the old guy at the table, I often discuss how one of those things was different in earlier times.

For example, if televisions are cited, I might talk about how, when I was young, we didn’t have one, and that the first tv’s had small screens and took a while to “warm up” before a low-quality black and white image grudgingly appeared. The only rule we have is that grats shouldn’t involve a person at the table. Otherwise, they can be anything–big or small.

Examples: freedom of speech, paper towels, email, volunteers, toothbrushes, friends, pie, plastic, sunshine, living in America, electricity, teachers, parks, and music. Grats has sparked a lot of good conversation and made us more appreciative of the lives we have. Try it. You’ll like it.

Gary Jump,
Itasca, Illinois