Dear Readers,

    Recently in my Economics class, my teacher assigned us a project to write a gratitude letter to someone who had positively influenced our lives and then reflect on the experience. I was astounded that we were getting a project that was unrelated to economics--we were being graded on something that would improve our mental health.

     I still did it the night before, but I poured thought into the letter to the drum major from my freshman year. She was also a female trombonist and was instrumental in my involvement in the music program (no pun intended). I looked up to her as a role model and she made me feel welcome when I usually felt awkward and out of place. She was so surprised to hear from me and it felt so good to thank her properly for everything she had done for me, whether she realized what she was doing or not.

     Every day in economics, we write 3 good things that happened to us in the last 24 hours. We take a few minutes out of class to improve our mental health. I feel happier and the 3 good things every day really put things in perspective--it's the little things that count. 

   What really struck me about everything was that this teacher and this class was the first time anyone had tried to improve my mental health and my life in the entirety of my high school career. And that makes you wonder...should we focus more on improving the mental health of teenagers in school? Just some food for thought...

   Anyways I thought that since this season is all about reflection and gratitude, I would share some things that I'm grateful for, and encourage you to do the same:

Take some time and think about who and what make your life special. 

xoxo

Hannah