29 minute read
Meetings
ILLUSTRATION BY CARLY GARZÓN VARGAS Sisters artist Carly Garzón Vargas designed this original piece for Sisters Farmers Market. You can view her work at www.carlygarzonvargas.com.
Raffle will support market, fire relief
By Caroline Hager Sisters Farmers Market Manager
The Sisters Farmers Market is hosting a Fundraising Raffle for COVID-19 expenses and Oregon Wildfire Relief funds, featuring three large prizes with values totaling nearly $3,000.
Prizes consist of: • A 2021 large Seed to Table produce share or $800 gift certificate to the Seed to Table booth at Sisters Farmers Market. • Private tour and dinner for four on Seed to Table Farm prepared by a local chef.
• Grand prize basket filled with nearly $850 worth of goods from vendors featured at the 2020 Sisters Farmers Market.
Tickets can be purchased through the end of September either online at www. sistersfarmersmarket.com/ raffle or in person at Sisters Farmers Market, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fir Street Park. Winners will be drawn during a live Facebook event on October 1.
With a growing local population and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market anticipated the
See RAFFLE on page 12
Sisters School District at a glance
By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent
• Sisters Education A s s o c i a t i o n ( u n i o n ) President Michele Hammer thanked the school board and Superintendent Curt Scholl for working cooperatively with the teaching staff on solving issues related to working conditions during COVID-19. Hammer also expressed how much the teaching staff looks forward to being back, doing in-person instruction. • Teachers are largely working from the school buildings this year during the distance-learning phase as opposed to from home as they did last spring. • Beginning fund balance of the budget for the 2020-21 school year came in higher than expected according to Finance Director Sherry Joseph. The extra money resulted from greater returns from the local option tax ($300,000) and from less spending last spring on items such as transportation, new hires, substitutes and athletics, as the district operated under distance learning. • Building principals reported a good start to the first week following a lot of outreach to students and families, including socially distanced meet-and-greets, school tours, and home visits to help welcome new and transitioning families. • All three principals conveyed a hopefulness that the health metrics related to COVID-19 infection rates will continue to drop so that students can return to in-person learning. If low rates in Deschutes County hold, K-4 students will return to class on September 28 and Sisters Middle School and Sisters High School students will return October 19. • The school board passed a proclamation emphasizing commitment to equity and anti-racism and resolving to establish specific goals and policies to support equity and anti-racism. • Enrollment numbers are not final yet, but the middle school reported 50 new students resulting in
See SCHOOLS on page 12
Modified ‘seasons’ for SHS athletes
By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent
Outlaws athletes are going to be able to get in some modified sports activities this fall.
In the topsy-turvy world of COVID-19, guidelines and rules are ever-changing. High-school athletics have been subject to constant flux since March.
When schools first shut down last spring, hope remained that they would reopen before the end of the year and spring sports would be allowed to complete a truncated season. That dream didn’t pan out and high school athletes were left to fend for themselves when it came to staying active.
Summer came and things didn’t get any better regarding gathering in an organized way. In July, the Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA) conferred with school leaders to come up with a plan for the 2020-21 school year; that resulted in a “four season” approach.
The plan originally called for Season One to be open with no organized OSAA activities, followed by Season Two (winter sports, December 28-March 7), Season Three (fall sports, February 22-May 2) and Season Four (spring sports, April 19-June 27).
Plans have shifted again and Season One is now open for limited practices and competitions at the discretion of local school districts, according to Gary Thorson, athletic director and head football coach.
According to Thorson, the change allows students and coaches to participate in any OSAA-sanctioned activity permitted by directives from
See SPORTS on page 12
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect gatherings, please contact individual organizations for current meeting status SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR
BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS
Al-Anon Mon., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. / Thurs., 10 a.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 541-610-7383. Alcoholics Anonymous Thurs. & Sun., 7 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration / Sat., 8 a.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfi guration / Mon., 5 p.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Big Book study, Tues., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Gentlemen’s meeting, Wed., 7 a.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Sober Sisters Women’s meeting, Thurs., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Step & Tradition meeting, Fri., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 541-548-0440. Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Support Group 1st Tuesday, noon, SPRD bldg. 800-272-3900. Black Butte Ranch Bridge Club Tuesdays, 12:30 p.m., BBR community room. Partner required. 541-595-6236. Central Oregon Fly Tyers Guild For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelefly@msn.com. Central OR Spinners and Weavers Guild One Saturday per month, Jan. thru Oct. For schedule: 541-639-3217. Council on Aging of Central Oregon Senior Lunch Tuesdays, noon, Sisters Community Church. 541-480-1843. East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Wednesday (September-June), Stitchin’ Post. All are welcome. 541-549-6061. Friends of the Sisters Library Board of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 9 to 11 a.m., Sisters Library.www.sistersfol.com. Go Fish Fishing Group 3rd Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Community Church. All ages welcome. 541-771-2211. Heartwarmers (fleece blanketmakers) 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 1 p.m., Sisters City Hall. Materials provided. 541-408-8505. Hero Quilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. 541-549-1028 or 541-719-1230. Citizens4Community, Let’s Talk 3rd Monday, 5:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP at citizens4community.com Military Parents of Sisters Meetings are held quarterly; please call for details. 541-388-9013. Oregon Band of Brothers – Sisters Chapter Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m., Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-549-6469. SAGE (Senior Activities, Gatherings & Enrichment) Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sisters Park & Recreation District. 541-549-2091. Sisters Aglow Lighthouse 4th Saturday, 10 a.m., Ponderosa Lodge Meeting Room. 503-930-6158. Sisters Area Photography Club 2nd Wednesday, 4 p.m., Sisters Library community room. 541-549-6157. Sisters Area Woodworkers 1st Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 541-639-6216. Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPRD. 541-549-8846. Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, 12:30 p.m., The Pines Clubhouse. Novices welcomed. 541-549-9419. Sisters Caregiver Support Group 3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., The Lodge in Sisters. 541-771-3258. Sisters Cribbage Club Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ray’s Food Place community room. 541-923-1632. Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m. Location information: 541-549-1193. Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 a.m., Brand 33 Restaurant at Aspen Lakes. 541-410-2870. Sisters Parent Teacher Community 2nd Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at Sisters Saloon. 541-480-5994. Sisters Parkinson’s Support Group 2nd Tuesday, 2 p.m., The Lodge. 541-668-6599. Sisters Red Hats 1st Friday. Location information: 541-279-1977. Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Thursdays, Noon, Aspen Lakes. 541-760-5645. Sisters Speak Life Cancer Support Group 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 1 p.m. Suttle Tea. 503-819-1723. Sisters Trails Alliance Board 1st Monday, 5 p.m. Sisters Library. Public welcome. 808-281-2681. Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-903-1123. Three Sisters Irrigation District Board of Directors 1st Tuesday, 4 p.m., TSID Office. 541-549-8815. Three Sisters Lions Club 2nd Tuesday, noon, Ray’s Food Place community room. 541-419-1279. VFW Post 8138 and American Legion Post 86 1st Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-903-1123. Weight Watchers Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. weigh-in, Sisters Community Church. 541-602-2654.
SCHOOLS
Black Butte School Board of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 3:30 p.m., Black Butte School. 541-595-6203. Sisters Christian Academy Board of Directors Monthly on a Friday. Call 541-549-4133 for date & time. Sisters School District Board of Directors One Wed. monthly, SSD Admin Bldg. See schedule online at www.ssd6.org. 541-549-8521 x5002. Sisters Middle School Parent Collaboration Team 1st Tuesday, 2 p.m., SMS. 541-610-9513.
CITY & PARKS
Sisters City Council 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022. Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of Directors 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m., SPRD bldg. 541-549-2091. Sisters Planning Commission 3rd Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022.
FIRE & POLICE
Black Butte Ranch Police Dept. Board of Directors Meets monthly. 541-595-2191 for time & date. Black Butte Ranch RFPD Board of Directors 4th Thursday, 9 a.m., Black Butte Ranch Fire Station. 541-595-2288. Cloverdale RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Wed., 7 p.m., 67433 Cloverdale Rd. 541-548-4815. cloverdalefire.com. Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Tuesday, 5 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 541-549-0771. Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Drills Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771.
Your Story MATTERS Audry Van Houweling, PMHNP Columnist
Challenging confirmation bias
After my years working in mental health, I have come to recognize that people tend to find what they are looking for. It is the conscious and subconscious quest to validate our worldviews, justify our positions, and hold on to our territory that can be both transforming and very limiting. Multiple people can have the same experience and have vastly different interpretations and reactions. Most of us want to believe our interpretation is valid and therefore, tend to side with information that reinforces our mindset regardless of whether that information is based in fact or not.
This tendency has been termed “confirmation bias.”
Research suggests that even when presented factual information in opposition to our worldview, we rarely reconsider, but in fact, identify even more with what we want to be true. So basically, it takes a whole lot of diligence to change our own minds.
I had a client once who wanted to run a marathon. Problem was that she had technically not run more than a mile in the past five years. She also believed herself not to be “good” at running. “I get winded walking up stairs,” she said, and “I am bad at following a routine.” Her confirmation bias sought out ways to justify her belief of not being a good runner and the prophecy was fulfilled. We began the work to challenge her narrative. After initial resistance and doubt, she eventually, again and again, began voicing, “I am a good runner” — “I can do hard things.”
She ran a marathon the next year. She had succeeded in replacing her confirmation bias from something limiting to something empowering. Simple in theory; not always easy to implement.
Exploiting our confirmation bias has major political, economic, and social implications. Political campaigns are expertly crafted to embolden our confirmation biases. Whether based in actual truth or not, if a campaign validates what we wish to be true, we are likely to side with it. In behavioral economics and marketing, confirmation bias plays a major role in how we choose to spend our money depending on how a company aligns its product with our wished-for-worldview.
Social media may be the most efficient at exploiting our biases. Using algorithms and tracking to follow our
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We are presented with an idea that we must choose a side and that each side must be associated with particular ways of behaving, believing, and voting. When we fall victim to such rigidity, we often give up growth, the opportunity for connection, and progress.
We have so too been presented with illusory correlations. We perceive a relationship between variables when actually none exists. Just because a cluster of variables appear together at times, does not mean they are by definition correlated.
According to the Pew Research Center (2016), the top two negative stereotypes Democrats had about Republicans were: 1. Dishonesty; 2. Closed
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mindedness. Vice versa, Republicans felt Democrats to be: 1. Lazy; 2. Closed minded.
While a Democrat may have had an experience with a Republican that revealed dishonesty, there have likely many occasions when said “Republican” has also been perfectly honest. Additionally, a Republican may have encountered a Democrat who may not have been the most industrious, but very likely also Democrats who were hard at work.
There may be many exceptions to our stereotypes, but often confirmation bias can filter what we actually acknowledge.
It can become dangerous when our confirmation bias and perceived illusory correlations seek to validate hate or unjustified violence. In Nazi Germany, Hitler provided millions of vulnerable citizens with a way to project their deep desperation after Germany’s financial collapse. He played upon the confirmation bias that the German people were not to blame, that they were victims, that Germany could again be a great nation. He propagated the illusory correlations that Jewish citizens, intellectuals, and others were terrorists, thieves, liars, and a driving force behind Germany’s perils. The relief that came with a scapegoat rather than personal responsibility resulted in the deaths of over 11 million.
Ultimately, you are absolutely entitled to your side of the fence. You can wave your banners, post your yard signs, march in protest, and drive around town with flags on the back of your truck. Thankfully, this is America and such things are protected. It is also just fine to be sitting on the rails observing with curiosity and perhaps a little shock and awe. I find myself here often.
It is how we uphold the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for those on the other side of the fence that tests our true character as citizens of this country. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “to define is to limit.” Can we take pride in our side of the pasture while also making room for and, by the grace of God, even embracing those on the other side? Is the truth you seek open for interpretation?
Perhaps you should start telling yourself it’s possible.
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Commentary... Unfathomable losses across our beloved state
By Carol Statton Columnist
Unfathomable.
That is the word that continues to describe all that has and is happening within our beloved state. As I continue to read updates and pray for all who have been affected by the fires, I think back to my own special places. Many of us have created important memories and rituals in the areas affected; areas that also contained unique and beloved businesses and communities that became a part of us. So many lives have been affected and there has never been a more necessary time to respond.
How many of us here on the east side of the mountains always stopped at Rosie’s in Mill City when traveling towards Salem? (According to the Statesman Journal, Rosie’s is still standing). How many of us heading to Eugene waited to have breakfast until arriving in Vida, to eat at the Vida Café (which appears to have survived)? How many families made it their annual ritual to buy a new cherished ornament at Christmas Treasures or find their Christmas tree at the beautiful Spring Creek Holly Farm? How many people simply looked forward to the drive west on any of these two main highways, because of all the beauty that encompassed every single mile. Every single mile held some of the most tremendous beauty one could hope to find.
Just recently, my husband and I traveled both of these highways while going to and coming home from the coast. Heading towards Mill City, and despite not even being hungry, we planned our stop at Rosie’s. There was simply no question of if we would stop — we always stopped. And, we almost always ran in to someone we knew from our area. This day was no different and we saw our friends, the Weston family. We visited for a few minutes and then continued on. My husband turned off Highway 22 and drove towards Scio, en route to Lebanon so that I could visit the farm of my early childhood. The beauty of the land was captivating but we also noticed how dry all of the areas were. Uncharacteristic for the “wet” side of the mountain. We couldn’t have imagined that many of the areas were about to sustain unfathomable losses.
So many people have lost their homes and businesses; so many are still at risk of loss. Lives have been taken, precious belongings and irreplaceable keepsakes have been destroyed, people’s sense of security has been shaken, and yet through the kindness of strangers, reborn on some level. We’ve been here before and no doubt will be again, but this time the level to which our state is suffering, along with all of our fellow states in the West, is unparalleled.
All of this is happening just as we remember another unparalleled attack, devastation and tragedy: 9/11. I remember thinking that there would never be anything equivalent to that in my lifetime; no equivalent threat, fear, challenge or loss. I truly believed that our country would never have to walk through, heal from or overcome anything even close to those events. And yet, although very different, here we are in 2020, walking through unparalleled times.
Do you remember the beginning of this year? Many of us were planning our vacations and celebrations, many had wedding dates secured with invitations sent out. So many people making so many plans... without any idea
that everything earthly was about to change. We could never have imagined a pandemic shutting down our country and taking so many lives throughout the world; we could never have believed that unresolved racial tension would catastrophically worsen and send some into a state of violence the likes of which we couldn’t believe still possible... and then, the fires came. All of these events are still happening; all are still impacting and threatening life as we know it.
However... there is so much more happening within it all. And just like 9/11, the darkness will only be parted by the light of the human spirit responding to the needs of others. God designed us to respond, to reach out from the depth of our spirit to take care of one another, to right the wrongs, to heal the wounds, to meet the needs of all who are suffering. We are capable of being a light that will pierce through even the darkest of times. God’s light, hands and heart... responding where needed and without thought to how we may or may not feel qualified. We are all qualified to respond; we are all qualified to be the love that provides a healing balm to any wound, no matter how deep.
We must remember what we have walked through, we must remember the lessons and examples, we must treasure the special places and people, while striving to rebuild when all seems lost. We must go on while helping others to go on. We must meet the needs of those who have lost so much... we must be the light in this seemingly impenetrable darkness. It is only when coming together that we will find our way through the unfathomable... when the human spirit can meet unparalleled needs through response, compassion, kindness and selflessness. It is our mindful response that creates hope even in the worst of times and defines us most clearly. I pray that at times such as this, we remember enough to compel us to do all that we can do, for others.
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Commentary... Discovering a hidden gem
By Lawrence Stoller Guest Columnist
My friend Gary and I have been exploring the wilderness of our Three Sisters Cascade range for years. The other day we started at a trailhead in an area we are generally familiar with. After a short time following the trail, we spontaneously veered off into the underbrush in a direction that we never explored, letting curiosity be our compass.
This kind of adventuring combines the elements of wonder, surprise, and uncertainty with a hefty dose of hardship and potential danger. (We have about 80 years of combined wilderness experience and do not recommend others follow our lead without proper experience, gear, a GPS and a developed sense for adventure.)
We found ourselves walking several hours up and through rugged overgrown terrain, following deer trails and trusting our innate sense of adventure. We ascended the flow of a rushing creek, climbed over endless firefallen trees, waded through thick masses of head-high snowbrush, bouldering ever higher. As we rounded a bend, with the echo of the creek increasingly amplified, we saw an impressive series of cascading waterfalls.
As we got closer, maybe a few hundred yards away, we saw a large slab rock that had come off the side wall of the canyon. It was planted in the middle of the upper falls and was beautifully carved by eons of winter runoff of the rushing creek. But as we neared, the wonder and beauty of the moment disappeared in an instant. It looked as if someone had sprayed bright neon green paint on the rock. Who would have come all the way up here to deface this magnificent rock? We continued our approach with a mix of dismay and angst.
As we got closer, the graffiti became obscured by the terrain, and we lost track of the defaced boulder. The ravine was steep, with
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PHOTO BY GARY TOWNSEND A pair of local explorers discovered an interesting geological phenomenon out in the woods.
many drop-offs, which made getting to creek level too dangerous. But as I looked across the ravine, I could see that there were traces of color on some of the surrounding rocks as well. Excitement clicked in triggering my mineralogical mind, and everything changed. (I have been an artist working with gems and minerals for almost 40 years.)
The color in the formation appeared to be chrysocolla, a close mineralogical relative of turquoise. Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper phyllosilicate mineral, or more simply stated, a strikingly beautiful rock. Over time, traces in the copper mineral had oxidized, turning a beautiful blue-green.
As we climbed closer, we found a safe section of the creek where we could both cool off and cross to the other side. Once across, we paralleled the falls, looking for the colored stone. And there it was… the old masterpiece. Mother Nature had painted a three-foot splash of color directly in the center of the rock slab. A thin, vivid patina layer of chrysocolla. There were little wisps of chrysocolla in the surrounding rock formations.
Apparently, eons ago Mother Nature was testing her color palette and dabbed this lovely blue green mineral on the canvas of gray slab rock.
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Officials battle wildfires and misinformation
By Ali Swenson Associated Press
S E AT T L E ( A P ) — Emergency responders in the Pacific Northwest are fighting misinformation along with raging wildfires as people spread unsubstantiated social media posts blaming coordinated groups of arsonists from both the far left and far right for setting the blazes.
The FBI said Friday, September 11, that it’s investigated several claims and found them to be untrue, while officials in Oregon and Washington state have turned to Facebook to knock down the competing narratives — some posts blamed far-left antifa activists and others claimed the far-right group the Proud Boys was responsible for the fires scorching wide swaths of the region.
“I am physically and emotionally exhausted. We’ve been working really hard to protect people’s lives and homes,” firefighter Matt Lowery wrote Thursday night on the Facebook page for the East Pierce Fire & Rescue union south of Seattle. “I also want to address an issue that keeps coming up, even from some of the public that we are talking to while working. It is hot, dry, and fire spreads quickly in those conditions. There is nothing to show it’s antifa or Proud Boys setting fires. Wait for information.”
The Mason County Sheriff ’s Office urged Washington residents to stop spreading rumors as isolated incidents of apparent arson led to widespread, unfounded claims that antifa agitators were conspiring to start fires along the West Coast. Antifa is short for anti-fascists, a range of far-left militant groups that oppose white supremacists.
“Though some agencies have made arrests related to arson recently, they appear to all be separate individuals, however as with many incidents, it will be an ongoing investigation in each
See MISINFORMATION on page 11
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Commentary... Gratitude is critical to well-being
By Mitchell Luftig | Columnist
During challenging times it is helpful to remind ourselves that we still have reasons to be grateful. But many of us — even in the best of circumstances — find it difficult to sustain a feeling of gratitude.
There are important reasons to raise your gratitude I.Q.
Grateful people experience: • Increased happiness and positive mood. • More satisfaction with life. • Less materialism. • Less burnout. • Better physical health. • Better sleep. • Less fatigue. • Lower levels of cellular inflammation. • Greater resiliency. • More patience, humility, and wisdom.
When practiced by groups, gratitude: • Increases pro-social behaviors. • Strengthens relationships. • M a y h e l p e m p l o y e e effectiveness. • May increase job satisfaction (www.positivepsychology.org).
One way to become more grateful is to study the characteristics of individuals born with an abundance of gratitude and to model our behavior after them.
Grateful individuals: • Recognize the thoughtful actions of others. • Express their appreciation to those who treat them with generosity, kindness, and helpfulness.
• Reciprocate good deeds and pay them forward to strangers. • Use their gratitude to discover the conditions for happiness in their lives.
Gratitude itself is a social glue that: • Helps grateful people find individuals whose thoughtfulness makes them a good candidate for a relationship. • Reminds grateful people of the goodness of their existing relationships. • Binds grateful people — through their expressions of appreciation and acts of thoughtfulness — to their friends and partners.
If you want to become more grateful: • Value your relationships, especially the people who act in a thoughtful manner, more than your prosperity or the material goods that you possess. • Recognize the conditions for happiness that already exist in your life rather than fantasizing how happy you would be if you could only live someone’s more glamorous life. • Replace the cynical view that people will only look out for their own selfish interests with the optimistic view that people often treat each other in a thoughtful manner. • Value acts of generosity, kindness, and helpfulness as a gift, given to you freely, rather than something “due you” because you are so much more important than everyone around you.
We can also learn to become more grateful by practicing evidencebased gratitude exercises. Gratitude exercises have been shown to have
positive benefits for our well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, grateful mood, grateful disposition, and positive affect. Gratitude exercises may also result in decreases in depressive symptoms.
Here are some of the bestresearched gratitude exercises.
Keeping a gratitude journal
According to Robert Emmons, you will receive the most benefit from writing about your experience of gratitude when you: • Make a conscious decision (set your intention) to become happier and more grateful and you view the act of journaling as a valuable tool to get you there. • Elaborate on a particular thing for which you’re grateful (rather than constructing a superficial list). • Focus on the people to whom you are grateful rather than the things people have given you or you’ve acquired. • Reflect on what your life would have been like without certain blessings that you’ve received. • Record events that were unexpected or surprising as these often elicit higher levels of gratitude. • Keep the experience “fresh” by writing in your journal just once or twice a week. • Take the time to really relish and savor the gifts of thoughtfulness that you receive.
Gratitude visits can make us feel significantly happier a month later, according to Martin Seligman.
Here are the steps to take for a successful gratitude visit: 1. Recall the face of someone who years ago did or said something that changed your life for the better— someone whom you never really thanked but with whom you could meet in the next week or so. 2. Write a letter of about 300 words in which you very specifically describe just what this person did for you and how it affected your life. 3. Arrange to meet (or Zoom) with this person, remaining vague about the purpose of the visit. 4. Read the letter to them, noting both their reaction and your own. 5. After you finish reading the letter discuss its contents and the feelings they evoked in each of you.
If you’re not quite ready for a gratitude visit, follow the first two steps of the gratitude visit and write a gratitude letter.
Simply the act of writing the gratitude letter, whether or not you mail it, is likely to make you feel happier.
Seligman also recommends the What-Went-Well Exercise (Three blessings).
Every day for a week, before you go to bed, write down three things that went well that day and why you think they went well.
If something special happened that day, be sure to include it, but the events you write about don’t have to be earthshaking. Participants who persisted, despite their initial awkwardness about explaining why they thought an event went well, usually found themselves still completing the What-Went-Well Exercise six months later.
What are you grateful for? Time to find out!
