Director's Wave | Volume 6 Edition 11

Dear CIS Community,

Something to Ponder

“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself” - Tecumseh

The coming week or so is a time when thanks and gratitude may take center stage for some. Sunday, 6 December 2026 in Cayman Islands Thanksgiving, marking the end of hurricane season and a time to give thanks. Thursday 27 November 2026 is Thanksgiving in the United States of America. Naturally, one hopes that the notion of gratitude transcends national boundaries. Indeed at least twenty countries worldwide have celebrations analogous to giving thanks.

Certainly thanks and gratitude is something that one hopes happens year round - rather than just on a designated day depending on your country of origin. Five purported benefits of showing gratitude include;

• Improving physical health
  • Grateful people are also more likely to take care of their health and be physically active.
• Improving psychological health
  • Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. 
• Enhancing empathy and reducing aggression
  • People ranking higher on grateful scales tend to experience more sensitivity and empathy toward other people and decreased desire to seek revenge.
• Sleeping better
  • Spending just 15 minutes jotting down a few grateful sentiments before bed, and a person may sleep better and longer.
    • Of course, a skeptic might say, “hey, I just lost 15 minutes of sleep because I was writing.”
• Increasing mental strength
  • Recognizing what one has to be thankful for can foster resilience.

In the coming days, weeks and months, may we all find opportunities to give thanks and share gratitude - who knows - if we do so, we may all have better sleep, and improved health.

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim Urquhart

Director - Cayman International School