Being Thankful

Is it awful to say that I am thankful Thanksgiving is over? 

To me, Thanksgiving is just another day, yet it is a day for me to publicly express my gratitude for all I'm blessed with.  Because every day I am thankful.  I'm thankful for the life I've been given.  I'm thankful for my supportive husband, who allows me to speak my mind (although not always thrilled with what comes out of it).  I'm thankful for my wonderful family and friends who have my back in a moment's notice.  I'm thankful to wake up each day, healthy, and optimistic about what I will encounter.  I'm thankful for my loyal pup who happened to find her way into my life at a time I needed her most.  And most of all, I am incredibly thankful and blessed to have been given the most amazing, smart, determined, and funny little girl who has taught me more about myself and life in the past year than all my years combined.  Every day, I am thankful. 

I've had a difficult time getting excited for the holiday over the past years.  What does Thanksgiving really mean?  What are we really celebrating?  The sacrifice of millions of turkeys?  Slaving all day in the kitchen only to eat a meal that physically makes you sluggish and sick?  The start to Black Friday shopping deals?  What is this tradition we've created really about?

I get it.  I grew up in a family with a mother who LOVES to cook and Thanksgiving was a very big deal.  But being a vegetarian my entire life, I didn't care for the food.  I ate like I would any other meal.  (Except I did enjoy all the pies!)  But the day was more about being around family and friends that I don't always get to see.  It was a time when everyone took a break out of their busy lives to just get together and be thankful and happy.  So I do get that side of it.

Yet somehow as I've gotten older, I feel it's either changed, or I've opened my eyes to what it is. To me, it has become a day surrounded by food, followed by shopping INSANITY.  I ventured out shopping Thanksgiving weekend one time a few years ago, just to see what all the hype was about, and I thought it'd be a fun experience.  Wrong.  Never again.  That is my idea of a total nightmare.

The entire holiday has just become a mystery to me.  What are we celebrating?  I don't understand.  We violently TOOK this land.  We kill millions of innocent animals with pride for this great big feast.  We spend hours of our time only to be angry at the person who got the last black door deal when we didn't.  We're tired from it all.  We're exhausted when it's all over. 

So why do we continue to do it?  Habit? 

Perhaps.  Change is hard. 

But I want to challenge you.  Not to throw out your beliefs.  I understand there is meaning in the holiday for the majority of people.  Yet I want you to take a small little step in a new direction with me. 

Let's be thankful EVERY day.  Let's wake up each morning, no matter how tired, no matter how hurt, no matter how frustrated, and just be thankful.  It is so easy to get caught up in life and let outside stressors pull you in different directions.  But each day that you are here, find something to be thankful for.  And say it out loud.  It can be the simplest of things: You got to sleep in an extra 10 minutes... Your spouse washed all the dishes... A stranger held the door open for you... You didn't hit any red lights on your way to work... Your child gave you the biggest grin...  You made it through the day without getting food stuck in your teeth.  It can be anything; because no appreciation is small.

I promise you will find something every day.  And the more that you focus on these small things and appreciate them, the more positive your thoughts will become.  The more positive your thoughts, the happier you will feel.  When you focus on the good, you will find it surrounds you. 

So, are you in?  Are you up for the challenge?  Starting now, as you read this, find something you are thankful for and commit to being thankful every day. 

Today, I am thankful for this opportunity to express my heart and mind.

 

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