Opinion: Take time to cultivate thankfulness

Commentary by Jeff Worrell

In Carmel, where civility is indeed a choice we get to make each day, practicing gratitude can transform our community interactions from ordinary to extraordinary. As we navigate our beautiful city’s roundabouts, walk the Monon Trail or shop and dine at our local businesses, each moment presents an opportunity to cultivate thankfulness.

How would daily life change if you were to give or receive a genuine expression of gratitude from a family member? Offer a friendly wave or smile to a random police officer, sanitation worker, occupants of a red street department truck or a school crossing guard?

What if local social media pages were swamped with grateful expressions about the person who held the door, picked up a stray piece of trash, let you have the parking spot or stopped and waved you into the line of rush hour traffic?

Want to go big? Write a letter to the editor or speak at a city council or school board meeting and espouse why you are grateful for your neighborhood, the janitor, the building inspector, the local park, the concert at the Gazebo or the CarmelFest parade.

Gratitude in Carmel isn’t just about saying thank you, it’s about recognizing and acknowledging the countless ways our community members contribute to making our city exceptional. When we choose civility through gratitude, we strengthen the bonds that make Carmel a remarkable place to live.