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TOP FIVE
Shortcuts to Gratitude
In the era of corporate bailouts, global warming, Sarah Palin, and OLD DOGS, we sometimes need to be reminded to be thankful. When life sucks so badly that I feel like a Goth boy who ran out of black nail polish before a big date with his Helena Bonham Carter wannabe girlfriend, here's what pulls me back out of the darkness:
1. Cud
I muse on the cliché that "the grass is always greener on the other side." This conjures an image of morose cows lamenting their existence, forever destined to chew sub-par cud when there's a pasture over a septic tank just beyond the barbed wire. Surely my life is better than the bovine 6th circle of hell; this makes me smile.
2. Eat Toad
I remember my grandmother's weird-encrusted nugget of wisdom: "If you start the day out by eating a toad, nothing worse can befall you." This makes me thankful for modernity's cynicism that rarely involves succulent toad entrails dripping down one's chin.
3. Choo Choo
I sit down with a mug of warm milk and read the story of "The Little Engine That Could". There's something so satisfying about making those ridiculous "chugga-chugga-choo-choo" noises. When he finally reaches the top...and after I cry...I've re-evaluated my life's priorities and am ready to take on the world afresh.
4. Special Effects Escapism
Remember, 2012 is just a movie -- the White House was not bitch-slapped by the USS John F. Kennedy and the fate of human existence doesn't depend on John Cusack's lung capacity. Sadly, Santa Monica is still standing.
5. Hakuna Matata
Two words: "Hakuna Matata." What better de-funkifier is there than a feel-good song and motto that means "no worries"? I can be thankful for the splendiferous musings of a gluttonous warthog and a domineering meerkat -- and their ability to put my life in perspective.
By Brian McCabe, a Clinical Psychology student in Michigan. Read more of Brian's writing at A Tasteful Cliché.
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