Today is the first day of November, so it’s also the first day of the Month of Thanksgiving here on Newvine Growing.
This is the second year* I’ve led up to Thanksgiving by focusing on getting myself into a thankful state, sort of like Lent aims to get Christians mindful of the celebration of Easter.
In case you missed last year’s Month of Thanksgiving, here are some of my favorite posts, all on themes related to overcoming obstacles to gratitude.

• acknowledge the things you hate and try to find something you love in each
• reflect on your regrets and give thanks for the lessons your mistakes have taught you
• try to forgive the people who’ve hurt you, or at least to find something to be grateful for in the hurt
• try to redirect your desire for things you don’t have to gratitude for things you already have
• if you’re grieving, reflect on the reasons you’re grateful to have known the loved one you’ve lost
• embrace life’s imperfections — if you throw a dinner party and it goes terribly wrong, at least you’ll get a laugh
• find time to be grateful even if you think you don’t have time to give thanks

This year I plan to use these posts a little more like a gratitude journal, sharing specific things I’m grateful for every day, in addition to writing about broad themes.
I hope you will share what you’re grateful for, as well. Share your gratitude any time you feel inspired — and look for prizes to help inspire your gratitude, too.
* Because this is the second year, AP Stylebook now says I can refer to Month of Thanksgiving as “annual.” There is no such thing as first annual.