For days I basked in the fabulousness of my weekend — a gift of new shoes, blueberries chest high and ripe, warm summer sun, a long jog, new friends. All of it so delicious.

And then Monday arrived, and with it the holiday hangover — you know it, right? — in which the zest for life circles the drain of ordinary routine. On Tuesday, the grit of irritation was building a fortress of annoyance. By Wednesday I was a slow burn of foul fumes: Can't anyone do anything right? Do I have to do everything myself? Does nothing ever change? blah blah blech. (Yes, I've been a delight to be around, thanks for asking.)

This morning I was not a bit thankful for the wonderful weekend that now seemed distant and impossible. Thankful Thursday? yeah, right.

And then I read my horoscope:

You've let go of minor grudges and resentments before, and now you're in the same place all over again. Should you forgive one more time? No. Forgive a thousand more times.

Wham! Well, yes, of course. Because this is how gratitude works, it sneaks up to humble the boastful and elevate the chagrined. Thank you, Thankful Thursday. Your mystery moves me.

It's Thankful Thursday, a weekly pause to appreciate the people, places, things (and horoscopes) in our lives. Joy contracts and expands in proportion to our gratitude. What makes your world expand?