I know this may sound odd, it comes off as kind of arrogant and a “wtf?” reaction seems to follow that statement, but it’s the same way I feel about Valentine’s Day, for example. I don’t like either of these days for one simple reason: they put emphasis on something that should be taking place daily. So to put it simply, I don’t actually hate Thanksgiving, or Valentine’s Day for that matter. I just dislike that everyone makes such huge displays of affection towards family, or loved ones on these days, but I never seem to see that kind of affection on any given Tuesday.
Life changes in an instant. A lot of us know that. Unfortunately, when life happens, it happens of its own accord and our hopes and desires of having family, friends, etc. remain safe, sound, and healthy, isn’t always the case.
Cancer happens. Death happens. Divorce takes place. Friendships end. People move away. People change and move on. Siblings grow apart. Life isn’t always pretty, so besides Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving, we should still be taking time to say “wow, I’m so very lucky in this moment and I’m counting my blessing for all that I have.”
So no, I’m not as callous and heartless as this title sounds (but sometimes click bait-y headlines are what you need). But truth be told, I wish I saw far less “I want/I need” centric posts on social media and saw more “I’m grateful/thankful for” on a day that you can’t hashtag a trending topic just for a spike in likes or favorites. Don’t you want the same?
I have started to do this thing where I set a weekly reminder at a random time. The title is “count your blessings.” So on every Wednesday, for example, my phone will buzz and I’ll get a reminder that I may not have conjured up myself between all the work I have to do, the bills I have to pay, the daily stresses that I, and you all, deal with. It’s easy to forget to take that moment and be remember just how lucky each of us are.
Sometimes I’ll even post to remind others because I love it so much when they do the same for me. So be thankful, even on days that don’t occur in November, and love the people in your life, even when it’s not February 14th.
