Excerpt of ThxThxThx Book of Thank You Notes by Leah Dieterich

Author Leah Dieterich is really good about writing thank-you notes. And not just to people who send her birthday presents or host her for a weekend. Since 2009, Leah has written a thank-you note every day to objects, ideas, places, or people. She's given thanks to clean sheets, men who walk Pomeranians, and her own laziness. At first she kept them in a box, but soon she started a blog so she could share her gratitude. Last month, she published a book, ThxThxThx, of these letters, as well as some she saved for her offline readers. I had a chance to speak with Leah, and she shared these reasons why we should all give thanks every day. Read them below and click through to see an exclusive excerpt of 10 letters featured in the book, which would surely make a great thank you gift!

• It can ground you. "My partner, who's an artist, got an opportunity to go to New York for a year for a prestigious fellowship. We decided to do long distance. Everything was up in the air, so I needed something to ground me. I just wrote a thank you note to some random thing and it felt really good. Even though I didn't know what the future of my relationship was, it reminded me to take things one day at a time."
• It can turn the negative into a positive. "Knowing that I have to do a note every day keeps my mind open to seeing the bright side of any situation. Sometimes if I have an experience that seems negative on the surface, I think there has to be something to learn."
• They're like a diary. "Reading my notes, they're almost in chronological order. I can read them and it feels like a memoir. I can see what was happening in my life during that year."
• You get back what you put in. "Putting a positive energy out in the world, you feel like you get it back. Even if it's just thanking an object, like a glass, it makes me feel more positive. Everyday is a little bit nicer, a little bit cooler since I'm looking for the good thing in even a crappy day. I hope anyone who reads the book will have that little shift in their mindset, too."

Check out a preview of the book now.