expat
The "Attitude of Gratitude"
Blue skies and climbing temperatures do a great deal to lift one’s spirits. Having been in a bit of a funk lately, I welcome the longer days and spring blossoms. I want to “snap out of it,” as my mom would so aptly tell me to do when I’m feeling blah.
So when I recently read about the “attitude of gratitude” one man adopted rather than to dwell on his true misfortune (versus my simple bad mood), I took note. His antidote to himself was writing a daily thank you note – to anyone from business acquaintances to family members to relative strangers. John Kralik wrote about this exercise and what he learned from it in the book 365 Thank Yous.
- charcey's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Big in China: One Father's Rise to Fame
Being a trailing spouse can be a hard gig. Former beijingkids columnist Alan Paul knows this well; his wife landed a great job with the Wall Street Journal’s bureau in Beijing and they picked up and went – taking their three kids along with them.
At home in New York, Paul was a journalist a family man, a blues enthusiast and a hobby musician. In China, he landed as just a father. But that quickly changed. Paul went from being the “male trailing-spouse” to being “big in China.” Paul chronicled his three-year transformation Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues and Becoming a Star in China.
