"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them" - The Office

With Thanksgiving finally coming upon us, it is the perfect time to reflect on what we are truly thankful for in our lives. The thing is, we often find that we did not truly express our gratitude to one another in our time together. This is something we all seem to be guilty of in some way or another and it's unfortunate because, deep down, we all know that we wouldn't be here without the people around us who support and push us to do our best each and every day.

My cat is sick, something that kind of hits me hard. We've had him since I was about 10. I watched him grow from a tiny, rambunctious kitten to the large, dorkily loving cat that he now is. 10 years is a long time. And we always seem to think that time is never going to run out, that the end is never near. So it sucks. It sucks a lot. I'm away and I feel like I let him down a bit by not being there while he's been suffering to give him attention and show the love that I have for him, something I know is probably silly and childish, perhaps even selfish in that I'm allowing for my self pity to eat me up.

But this isn't simply about my cat. This is about all of the people and creatures and times that we have let go by in our lives without truly showing our gratitude and appreciation for how they have changed us in some way or another.

Last summer, my grandpa fell down a flight of stairs, breaking his leg in several places and landing him in the hospital and a retirement facility for several months. We saw him go from the chipper yet stubbornly prideful man that he is to someone with very little will to continue as his confidence was at an all time low, someone I did not recognize and was terrified of. It was like I somehow just realized that he is not immortal (though I have tried to convince myself otherwise), not immune to life and its twists and turns. My hopeful perception of living life with my family forever was shattered. Which was incredibly hard and scary.

Throughout high school and college I have lost friends, some simply to distance and time, others to harsher means. That also really sucks, you know? Losing the people that you confide most in simply because you are now following your own paths of life and are further away.

Though these small glimpses of my life are rather different in nature they all seem to pull back at the same idea: you don't ever truly know when you will lose someone or something in your life. And that is not meant to be a depressing statement, merely a statement to provoke and kindle some kind of fire within you to show your appreciation while you have the chance.

I am so grateful for so many things and yet never truly show it as much as I more than likely should. I won't bore you with a list of all the things that I am thankful for, this article is merely meant to stimulate you a little. To, hopefully, allow for you to mentally remind yourself that there are people that have helped you get to where you are, contribute to your happiness, support you in your endeavors, or are simply there through thick and thin and they probably deserve to be thanked for that.

I'm not saying that you have to go shouting your gratitude from the rooftops (unless you feel inclined to do so, in which case, go for it my friend) but to simply thank the people around you for the part that they play within your life. Give your pets a hug and maybe an extra treat or two, call your grandparents and catch up with them just to see how they're doing and to remind them that you are always thinking about them, text your siblings, parents, or friends and ask how their day at work or school was. Even the smallest gestures go a long way as they show us how much we truly care for one another.

Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful for all that we have, the people, the opportunities, the love, the lessons. Take a minute or two to think on how much we truly receive from one another. Take another to show your appreciation some way or another. Be thankful for what and who you have this season! Happy Thanksgiving!