Everyone has different traditions for the Thanksgiving holiday, and they are all amazing in their own way! Each and every year, families get together to uphold a tradition or rather begin a new one if needed. Larger families or smaller ones, Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate every single thing you have. There is no correct way to celebrate this wonderful occasion, but why do we wait for one day out of the year to “give thanks”?
As the holiday week takes place, everyone is scrambling to cook, clean, and prepare for the intense shopping spree soon to come. There is football to watch along with the always anticipated Thanksgiving Day parade while everyone sits around waiting for the cooks to finish up the last-minute details. How easy is it to lose yourself and push aside the true meaning of giving thanks? Once the festivities actually begin, you critique each other as everyone goes around the table talking about their current state in life. Every year the same questions are asked and like always, you probably use the same scripted answers for each of them.
Seeing your family and family friends all in one place each year is a glorious moment that should never be looked upon lightly. The moments you have with these people can never be replayed as time is forever moving forward. While the dinner is taking place, is your mind really in the right spot or are you thinking of the great bargains initiating in 12 hours? Bring your spirit back down to the present and really feel the presence of family around you. Even if there are some issues between certain people around the table, these are the people that raised you and contributed in some way to your upbringing. But why stop there?
Thanksgiving needs to be a year round holiday that takes place every single day no matter what the occasion! The actual holiday with food and family can be really powerful, but there are other people in your life that contribute to your current state. We tend to look to the future and wrap ourselves in what “will happen” instead of noticing the little details in the present moment. Every year people rush out of their offices or pack up their bags from college and hit the road at the speed of light. Have you ever considered giving thanks to that one coworker or roommate before hopping on that plane? Is Thanksgiving only designated for the family and family friends you see once a year? The people around you on a daily basis deserve just as much thanks and love as the uncle or aunt who helped raise you all those years ago. They are the ones that contribute to who you are today at this very moment without having to give them yearly updates around a table full of food. Where would you be right now without that roommate who stays up late with you to vent about personal issues? What about that one coworker that always asks how your weekend was even though you are not the best of friends?
I challenge everyone in their respective communities to give thanks more than just on Thanksgiving this year. The people surrounding you on a daily basis deserve just as much thanks as the next guy!
