Thanksgiving is the time of the year where we reflect and give gratitude for all the things in our lives. Today we are counting our blessings. We are viewing the world through rose colored lenses. We are feeling the love and bonds shared between family and friends.
This year we could probably all sum up what we are least thankful for as the coronavirus covid-19 pandemic. This Thanksgiving celebration is probably the smallest you’ve ever had or you may not be having one at all. Our hearts are aching but maybe this is an extra special time of appreciation. We can dedicate some time really cherishing the ones we are with. We can send text messages, emails, calls or video chat to the ones we miss.
While it has been a rough year, it has forced us to re-prioritize. We’ve made health and family our top priorities. We’ve learned to say no. Even those who aren’t good at it have learned to cancel events and not participate when it isn’t good for their family. We’ve slowed down. Maybe smelled the roses for a change. We have started or re-vamped projects to make our spaces we spend the majority of our time in more aesthetically pleasing, functional or livable. Anything that can make us globally make drastic decisions and changes is worthy of some awe.
Gratitude is not always easy for life can be exceedingly challenging. Today we have to be appreciative of the bad that gives us such recognition of the good. We have to see the darkness for the opportunity to see the light brighter. We have to see yin in the yang.
We learn to be grateful for the busy days so we know how to appreciate the lazy ones cuddled on the couch with loved ones. Grateful for our tests and tributes that make us stronger and more capable. Grateful for our falls so we can tell when the terrain is a climb and the excitement of the peak.
Maybe we decide to give thanks daily. I’d like to do it more often with more intent. There is scientific research on the neurological benefits of gratitude. I found this journal entry from NCBI very interesting. Social impact is one measurement we can generally see and observe, but it really is amazing the differences physically with an MRI.
I eagerly await the dinner table with the kids. They have homework to bring to the Thanksgiving table with at least as many things they are grateful for as their age. Kids usually surprise you with their imagination and saying the darndest things so my anticipation is high that I will learn someting new to be grateful for.
Happy Thanksgiving Readers! Even the cat brings thanks today.
