Essay On Being Thankful

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“You should be thankful,” my mother said. It was dinner out after high school graduation and the mood was as merry as could be. But it wasn’t one of those unconditionally cheerful atmospheres; it was too hot during that June night and I could tell something would eventually shift the ambiance into a hostile one, but I had no clue I would be doing it. Unable to hold back my mild annoyance, “What is there to be thankful for? I got to where I am on my own with nothing else” I yelled, remembering those long nights wasted studying for subjects I knew I would not be seeing again and perfecting my butterfly stroke in that chlorinated hell. Even I knew that I had crossed the line at the moment, but it still felt justified. As anyone could’ve guessed, …show more content…

The chapter on “Rejuvenation” was instrumental in my discovery of my next steps. A fair portion of the chapter discusses diet and exercise. “Walking at a good pace” (179) is considered to have a favorable impact on the growth of new neurons. As it is clear the neurons that would link gratitude to growth and meaningful conversations instead of failure need to be cultivated, exercise would seem to be conducive to my process in addition to the obvious habit of saying the magic words. In addition, I eat the same three meals every day because it allows for better planning. Time is also saved because I don’t have to think about what to cook. Meals should be varied through experimentation, I could learn from failure. Creating areas in which I could learn from failure such as cooking and exercise seem to be an indirect, yet effective method of dealing with my subconscious. More interestingly, Doidge writes that “Nothing speeds brain atrophy more than being immobilized in the same environment” (179). The sentence felt uncomfortable in that my unintentional application of a static high school oriented mindset to a more variable college environment was preventing me from growing in my college career. I became fearful that at the end of four years I would have absolutely nothing to show for my development and felt the need to change the way I

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