Prescription For Peace

Many years ago, Dr. A. J. Cronin occasionally prescribed an unusual treatment for some of his patients who were feeling "blue," "down," or generally blah. He would insist that for six weeks the patient say, "Thank you" for every kindness and keep a record of it. According to Dr. Cronin, he had a remarkable cure rate!

If you find yourself depressed, please consult your medical doctor. But everyone gets down at times, and sharpening your sense of gratitude can make an important difference in the way you feel. Writer Arthur Gordon (Daily Guideposts, October 1983) told about asking a physician friend of his for the name of the most effective prescription he knew.

"Well, I'll tell you," his friend said. "A colleague of mine once had a woman patient who suffered from depression. Got to the point where she stayed at home all the time, listless, apathetic, indifferent to just about everything. The usual medications didn't seem to help. One day this doctor delivered a small package to the woman's home. "I want you to take what's in this package," he said, "and spend ten minutes of every day looking through it at some object in this room."

In the package there was a strong magnifying glass. The woman began looking through it at the warp and woof of the fabric on her sofa. She was amazed at what she saw! Then she examined the veins in a flower plucked from her garden, the color dots in an old photograph, and even the texture of her own skin. That was the turning point of her illness. She began to get well because the doctor and his "prescription" had aroused the most curative of all emotions - gratitude.

Sharpening your sense of gratitude is no less than a powerful prescription for peace.

--Steve Goodier