In my view, the sweetest word after "love" is "thank you." This simple word has become a part of common etiquette that irons out many interpersonal differences. "Say thank you" is drilled into our ears since childhood. No wonder the first Chinese words a foreigner learns are "ni hao" and "xie xie."

 "How sweet," I thought when I first learned there is a special day to highlight this sense of gratitude, called "Thanksgiving Day." It is a national holiday celebrated in the United States (fourth Thursday of November) and Canada (second Monday of October). It falls on November 28 this year in the US.

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. It is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have and to those who have contributed in making their lives happier.

Saying "thank you" comes very naturally to most of us. In fact, it comes so naturally to us that we sometimes tend to take gratitude for granted!

There is a popular book titled The Gratitude Journal. It basically taught people to record a list of things/people for which they were thankful on a daily basis. I'm not sure how many people follow it but quite a few do prepare their individual "gratitude lists" around Thanksgiving Day. Interestingly, some even prepare a list of those who have hurt them but later destroy it to keep the negativity out of their lives.

We celebrate many festivals to thank God, which is not bad. But I think we also need to thank the flesh-and-blood people around us who are trying to make our lives better in some way or another.

A middle-aged Chinese colleague (whom I helped to improve her English) once gifted me a music CD and wrote "Happy Thanksgiving Day" on the packet. I was kind of touched. I often tell my Chinese friends that it is the thought that matters, not how big or expensive the gift is.

If I have to thank people in Beijing this year, I would like to thank a couple of my Chinese friends who always help me. I would thank my blind masseur, Liu Jiang who relieves me of my gym-strained muscles with his magic hands. I would thank a friend who inspired me to start writing after a long hiatus.

So it's time, guys, to prepare your "gratitude list" and thank those who have added value to your life.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.