The turkeys are being stuffed, cranberries are on every aisle display in the supermarket, and Christmas decorations are lurking around the corners, waiting for their chance to shine. The airport is packed, the weatherman is warning of record snowfall, and leaves are crunching underfoot. It must be Thanksgiving.
A time to gather together friends and family and reflect on all the blessings we each have, it is a holiday about saying "Thank you" to loved ones, bosses, co-workers, and God. But once the cheesy mashed potatoes are packed in neat little Tupperware boxes and the bread has gone stale, that grateful attitude disappears. Then the frantic holiday chorus of "Gimme gimme gimme!" begins.
Does this break anyone else's heart? We set aside one day of the year to be truly happy with what we have and where we are in life instead of living it all the time. Things can always get better, but that is no reason to not be grateful all the time.
Now, you're staring at your computer screen or the tiny LED display on your phone and thinking I've officially lost it. How can one be grateful every day? Isn't that impossible?
We all had that one grandparent or strange aunt who always said "Look at the glass like it's half full." If your glass is half full, then you see life for its good. You don't disregard the bad, but you allow the good to have more sway in your life. If you see your glass as half empty, which is how a lot of us, including myself, do more often than we would care to admit, you see the negative and tend to disregard the positive. We become very bitter when we see the world this way, always looking for the next big thrill to make us feel "alive." And then we die again. We spend all our time trying to gratify ourselves and we do not see the blessings and miracles that are right in front of us.
My parents have been together for almost 30 years. I am thankful for that every time I see them together. My dog is probably the greatest animal to ever walk the planet. I am thankful for that even when he covers my bed in mountains of suffocating fur right before I come home for a weekend. I get to go to college and chase my dreams and write and meet new people. I am beyond thankful for all of that. But I was not always as grateful as I am now, and sometimes I still am not as grateful as I should be.
There are treasures in our everyday lives, no matter how small. Every breath in our lungs is a miracle. Every laugh is one you would not have had otherwise. There are friends who care, family members who love, jobs that pay, and cars that run. No matter how bad things get, there is a heart in your chest that is pumping and a brain in your head that is working. You are alive! How could you not be grateful for that?
Thanksgiving should be the pinnacle of our gratitude, not the only application of it. Get up every morning and know that you have a purpose, you are alive, and you are loved. Be thankful for that.
After the last plane leaves next week and classes begin again, remember that thankfulness is not just a holiday tradition, but a life practice. Let's all be grateful this year.
