To be completely honest ‘reasons to be thankful’ posts, specifically on Thanksgiving, cause me to roll my eyes and scroll faster through whatever it is that I am reading. I don’t mean to offend anyone, it is a personal pet peeve I think. The word, thankful. It assumes that we are actually thanking someone or something for what we have in our lives. As if these things have been gifted to us and we should therefore feel indebted and grateful.
It’s not my intention to open up a can of worms here, so I won’t go further into that subject. Creating controversy is not exactly my cup of tea. We’re all entitled to believe what we want to believe.
But being obligated to feel thankful on a specific day defeats the purpose. I’m not a fan of designating one day, 11 full months into the year, as the time to start noticing and appreciating life. But I don’t feel ungrateful. When I post a pointless picture of the meal I’m about to eat, that’s me taking the time to appreciate that food. Every time I hug someone hi or bye, or send them a meaningless text, that is me feeling lucky to have that person in my life. When I write about something ridiculous from my commute, that is me being thankful to have that car, that job, that home to drive to. I really do feel fortunate for all of this. That is what this is all about.
But I also know it is entirely possible to create our own fortunes, and misfortunes, through our own perspectives. Being determined to look at life sunny side up is not easy, sometimes it is really hard. But I’ve certainly learned that when I look for good things, I see more good things. And vice versa. I’ve also learned that what I choose to dwell on is my decision.
I of course realize that some things in life are entirely out of our control, and that life can be very unfair. But other times, whether it’s the good, the bad, or the ugly, we have no one to blame (or thank) but ourselves.
So while I do appreciate all the good things in life; my family, my friends, my happiness, I will not be going out of my way to feel more thankful for them this week than any other week. On Thursday I will be grateful for four consecutive days off, for the two full Thanksgiving meals I get to eat (which I’ll instagram of course). For a little football. For the comfort of family traditions, and for the official start of my beloved holiday season.
And for gravy. I will always be thankful for gravy.
Living The Dream 