By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published November 27, 2008, The Maine Switch

Sometimes you just have to throw a party. Such was the case in January of 2007. It was my thirty-sixth birthday, and I had recently made some changes in my life—a new job, a new medical practice and the decision to take a long-awaited trip. I wanted to celebrate. I felt intensely grateful for my family, friends and general circumstances: I wanted to share my gratitude.

Gratitude helps us to stay grounded in the present. When we realize how rich our lives our, it is easier to approach our days with a sense of wonder. It is humbling to be able to ask ourselves, “How did I get to be so lucky?”

Being grateful also keeps us healthy—or at least happy. When people feel good, their bodies release endorphins and serotonin, which have been called “happiness hormones.”

It isn’t difficult to get the happiness hormones flowing. We can begin the process by actively practicing gratitude. One way is to keep a journal that contains all of the people, things and circumstances for which we are grateful. Find a great parking spot? Write it down. Have parents who love you? Put it in print. Start today: make the holidays a ‘season of gratitude,’ by recording every instance of your lifelong good fortune.

Having a gratitude journal is not enough, however—we must share our thanks with others. Not only does this help our friends generate their own happiness hormones, it also causes our bodies to produce another important hormone. Called oxytocin, this hormone promotes bonding and contributes to our ability to communicate. Sharing our thanks is a win-win situation.

I was looking forward to being involved in this type of win-win situation when I began planning my January party in 2007. Then things took a sobering turn. I found out that day that Hanley Denning, a friend and Bowdoin College classmate, had died.

So the day I began living life as a 36 year-old, I made another big decision. It was time to share my gratitude in a bigger way. This took the form of an inspirational quote book, called Our Daily Tread. ODT was created as a tribute to Hanley, as a means of furthering her work with the children of Safe Passage in Guatemala. Now, almost two years later, with the assistance of friends and supporters from around the world, the book is done.

So it is time to throw another party! We’re calling our gathering Giving & Gratitude: Celebrating Our Daily Tread. It will take place from 6-8 p.m. on December 4th at the Portland Museum of Art. Everyone is welcome. We will have music, food, singers, speakers and books to share.

There will also be gratitude aplenty—and more than enough happiness hormones to go around.

Dr. Lisa Belisle is a family physician, advisor for the MaineHealth Learning Resource Centers, and editor of Our Daily Tread: Thoughts for an Inspired Life. All proceeds from ODT will benefit the children of Safe Passage.