Sweet music’s melting fall, but sweeter yet the still small voice of gratitude.

The end of November is rapidly approaching, which brings to mind several thoughts, not the least of which is trading leaf raking for snow shoveling.

The next thought that pops into my head, since it’s Thanksgiving week, is that I want to put in a plug for a concept that we all associate with this time of year, but that we don’t necessarily practice in our lives as much as we should - gratitude. Yes, we will gather together this week, surrounded by our respective bounties, be they food, fellowship, family, or friends, and we will find some moment or two to offer thanks with our words or actions or thoughts, but do we take the time to really be thankful? I believe thankfulness is learned behavior, and as such it is dependent on each of us to practice it and to pass it on to those around us. It goes beyond the act of an individual counting blessings or following a long-established tradition of perfunctory statements offered and quickly forgotten. Gratitude comes with recognition of the worth of everyone’s effort and the great good fortune we enjoy in this time and in this place.

We have so many great folks to be thankful for here at The Music Settlement, from the fantastic instructors and therapists who bring the joys of music into so many lives, to the administrative staff who provide excellent service and thoughtful information, to our outstanding maintenance crew who make our campus the most welcoming place it can be. I am thankful for their efforts every day. I’m sure the same applies to you in your life, and I urge you take this opportunity to spread the good karma around a bit.

In my opinion, there is never a case of too much thanks being offered, and this rule should apply to the whole gamut of opportunities life presents to us. Thank the people whose work is often taken for granted but makes our world better - people who clean and serve and repair, or those who deliver or prepare or haul away. Make sure that your thanks include spoken words, so that they know it’s not just an obligation. Thank the people in your world, your co-workers, your friends and your family; never take it for granted that they know what’s in your heart. Best of all, try to be someone who accepts the thanks of others graciously: don’t brush it off and say, “Oh, it’s nothing,” which negates the gratitude being offered and leads to it being offered less and less frequently. Let’s face it - in these challenging times, when we witness the rise of thoughtlessness, rudeness, and incivility every day in even the highest levels of discourse, a bit of thanks goes a long way.

Another thought that occurs to me as we approach the end of 2009 is the oddness of the decade that is coming to an end. I don’t mean the events or history that occurred during those years, but rather the way we pronounce the names of the years themselves! Here’s an example: I was born in 1957 - that’s nineteen fifty-seven to you and me, not nineteen hundred and fifty-seven. My step-daughter was born in 2001, which is two thousand and one to you and me, not twenty-o-one. Why do we make this spoken choice? Is it because of the influence of literature? In 1968, Arthur C. Clarke wrote the novelette (and later co-wrote the film), 2001: A Space Odyssey, which we universally pronounced “two thousand and one.” Did it set the tone? Or could it have some relation to the flow of speech, with “two thousand and one” being a more mellifluous choice than “twenty-o-one?” Or could it be related to the general queasiness we all seem to have with this odd decade, the aughts? We have had a hundred years to forget how polite speech described the first decade of each century; perhaps it’s not surprising that we seem to struggle with the right approach. Well, whatever the choice -you say twenty and I say two thousand - we are rapidly approaching the year 2010. Time to make up our minds already!

Well, enough about that. Whatever you find to be thankful for on this last Thanksgiving of the “0’s”, make sure to share your gratitude with all who deserve it, and they will thank you in return.

Peace, and have a great week!