from the Providence journal
From the 05/15/2011 01:00 AM EDT
Since embarking upon his gratitude adventure of writing thank-you notes, John Kralik has moved from debt to a Superior Court Judge, from overweight to running marathons, from being depressed to becoming a more positive person.
I interviewed him about his book, “365 Thank Yous” (Hyperion), not too long ago and decided to follow up to find out if he was still running and if his life was continuing to change.
He readily admitted that despite an attitude of gratitude not every day is filled with sunshine.
“However, when I had a bad day recently, I received a box of letters and notes people had sent to my publisher. Readers are writing to tell me that they are now writing their own thank-you notes and are noticing good things in their own lives.
“I read a few letters every day. People are pouring out their hearts. One woman has been caring for her husband, a paraplegic, for 20 years and she wrote to tell me what this has done to her life, how it has given her meaning and her family a purpose.
“For me, the book has been like a thank-you note the size of a billboard to the people in my life to whom I had been writing,” he said.
Although his book is published, he continues writing thank-you notes.
“But now I am beginning to appreciate the value of writing longer letters, especially to people who are important,” says Kralik. “It is a chance to slow down and really create something of lasting value rather than a note on a social media site.”
How did gratitude inspire him to lose about 40 pounds, which dramatically lowered his high blood pressure? He had written a thank-you note to a college friend who in turn invited him to run the Los Angeles Triathlon in 2008. Despite the training pace, his friend Paul, who ran despite battling cancer, was his source of encouragement. The two friends eventually ran a half marathon together, but unfortunately Paul succumbed to the disease. Now Kralik runs in Paul’s honor.
From a note of gratitude, he received the unexpected benefit of better health.
With the thank-you notes, Kralik revived a tradition that began when he was a young boy and received a silver dollar from his grandfather. Now his father has embraced writing thank-you notes, more than 100 thus far.
He added, “Recently, he sent my daughter, his granddaughter, a silver dollar. She wrote him a thank-you note, just as I had done years earlier with my grandfather. So the message is being passed on.”
Rita Watson, one of our Relationship columnists and a regular op-ed page contributor, is an author, mother and incurable romantic. You can reach her at www.ritawatson.com.