Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas.
Day Eight: The Hate List Project

As part of the Month of Thanksgiving, I shared the Love List Project from the blog Halfway to Normal. The basic concept is that you make the effort to acknowledge the things you love, big and small. I like it as a way of reminding myself of all reasons I have to be grateful.
But while I love the superb olives at Sahadi’s and the amazing pickles at Damascus Bakery, both part of the Middle Eastern shopping on our street in Brooklyn, it can take some effort to keep my focus on gratitude and love.
What comes easy is hate.
I hate how noisy our upstairs neighbor is, stomping around her apartment and apparently moving furniture and hammering on something at midnight.
I hate the trash scattered all around the subway stop near my office.
I hate that my cat has heart disease and probably won’t be with me much longer.
As part of the Month of Thanksgiving, I’m going to try to turn around some of this free-flowing negativity. I’m going to look for things to be grateful for in life’s frustrations and disappointments.

• I hate how noisy my upstairs neighbor is — but I’m really grateful to have a safe, warm, dry place to live, in a neighborhood I love, with the man I love.
• I hate the trash at the subway stop near my office — but I’m grateful I don’t have to drive to work and that I still have a job to go to when so many people don’t.
• I hate that my cat has heart disease — but I’m grateful she’s been with me for 18 years and that I can afford to give her good veterinary care so her golden years can be comfortable.

Much like the Love List Project encourages keeping a list of the things you love, I think I’m going to keep a list of what I hate so I can work on finding something to be grateful for in each of them.
Can you find something to give thanks for in the things you hate?