Thankful

Those that are happy tend to look at what they do have and not what they do not have.  I heard someone say that and it rang true with me.  I am big on replacement and I am thinking if I replace in my mind thoughts of what I lack with thoughts of what I have, I would be happier.
There seems to be so many with an axe to grind.  Some have suffered injustices and been hard done by.  Others have experienced the suffering that is a part of life.  Yet I cannot help but think happiness is a choice.  I can dwell on the hurt that is common to all, or the injustices yet to me the scales need to be weighted in favour of being thankful for what is while where appropriate I am trying to change what is not.
I did look up the web and saw a number of ways to express thankfulness that had not immediately come to mind. I was initially surprised to see a heading saying “How to be thankful” yet when I looked at the different methods listed, I thought it was great.  One article listed three methods, including “Being thankful in the moment”, “developing a more thankful mindset” and “cultivating thankfulness with mental and physical health.”
Method two was an eye opener for me.  It suggested keeping a gratitude journal.  It suggested fixing reasons to be thankful in the mind - suggesting this was particularly good when times were tough.  It highlighted how it is good to remember good times in bad times.
To me it is not a case of being in denial.  There is no doubt bad things happen.  They are never enjoyable.  It makes me think of an illustration I read a while back.  Life is so often like an eclipse.  Two planets align.  One is hidden by the other.  In this case the two planets for me are “Thankfulness” and “Woe is Me.”
Planet Thankfulness is highlighted with areas of giving out when maybe my natural inclination is to look inwards in an unhealthy way. Another area is focusing on the kindness being shown to me rather than being a sponge like a Black Hole, absorbing acts of kindness like they never existed.  The planet has plenty of area of just saying thank you even when life screams I don’t seem to have much to be thankful for.  The biggest number of areas on the planet are finding reasons to be thankful even though it can be through gritted teeth.
When family have passed away, I have been incredibly sad.  I have wept copious amounts of tears.  Yet in the midst of the tears has been thankfulness.  Thankfulness that I knew them.  Thankfulness they were my relatives.  Thankfulness for happy memories.  Thankfulness this has not been goodbye but see you later.
That to me is the difference between plant Woe is Me and planet Thankfulness.  Planet Woe is Me has lots of the same areas without the Thankfulness.  It concentrates on the hurt of the loss rather than acknowledging that exists but being thankful for the good stuff.
To me it is up to me which Planet I inhabit.  Both planets acknowledge life is full of hurts.  One planet sees an eclipse as a permanent thing and acknowledges only bad, while the other acknowledges both the good and bad.
Planet Thankfulness is the one I want to be on.