Shock! Barbara Sher and I got into an Internet disagreement about gratitude!!!!! Shock! Yes, I admit it. Note - this happened years ago.

I agree with her on two points - If you're really miserable, and you pretend to be happy, you'll go crazy. And yes, sometimes you need to rant - to get it off your chest and move on. As most of you know, I have posted a lot A LOT of rants.

BUT - and here I need to switch from "you" to "I" because I can't speak for other people. If I ignore all the good things and only focus on the bad, I dig myself into a black hole. So, when I'm ranting and feeling like everything is hopeless, I try to end the rant with some gratitude. Interestingly enough, this is where psychiatry is heading these days. After my surgery, my surgeon sent me, via the Internet, recovery posts including ten-minute guided meditations on dealing with post-surgery pain and feelings of depression. The messages - the pain is there. Don't add to it with your thoughts. Similar the the famous Serenity Prayer - "God grant me serenity to accept what cannot be changed, courage to change what I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Apparently, this works well short-term, and it works for people who are depressed because of current problems. It doesn't work well for people whose depression is rooted in childhood trauma. I don't know how it works on people with chemical imbalances. Like I said - this is about me not about anyone else.

Also, Barbara came from the age of EST and other gurus who maintained that if you REALLY believe in something it will happen. Or if you pray hard enough. And yes, that kind of thinking can drive you crazy.

I'm posting all of this because I'm grateful for the Boards. Without them, I wouldn't have created "Temporary Address" or "The Molly Chronicles." Especially "The Molly Chronicles" because Square Peg taught me what I needed to know photographs, and downloads, and his dog Shadow who featured prominently in the baseball segment. And Lynx and Inspire, who encouraged me when I needed that. And I wouldn't be this far along on "Through Unfamiliar Waters" without you guys. So thank you.

I'm grateful. Sorry, Barbara.