Abundance of Thanks

As Thanksgiving Eve is upon us, I just wanted to post a few thoughts on the changes of perspective of this holiday when you enter the so-called middle age and beyond stage of your life.

First, the number one item on the list of things to be thankful for is that we are just here to see and experience another Thanksgiving. When your a child or in your 20's, 30's or even 40's, it's usually not on your list, because quite frankly, we take it for granted. It's really rather eye opening when you realize the time here isn't forever. Not in theory, but when it resonates for real.

This definitely will alter your approach to life. Some of the little things that we stressed over, or became agitated from, just lose their impact. It's not worth it. It doesn't mean that old wiring doesn't occasionally rear its ugly head when we are stuck in traffic or someone slams a door in your face. What I have learned, is to take a beat. I tell myself the alternative, which is not being here to experience these annoyances, would be quite a bit more impactful. It's a process. I'm far from perfect with it. I have grown and need to do quite a bit more growing.

So on this holiday, I want to say I'm thankful for being here to celebrate my 62nd Thanksgiving. Enough people close to me in my life never made it that far. More importantly I'm thankful for learning more about what is genuinely important in life vs. what we think is important. Things are nice, but true connections in family and friendship are what matters more.

I always hear about Thanksgiving gatherings, especially of family members, that are things some people dread being part of. Perhaps it's over different political or religious views. Maybe it's a long running disagreement amongst siblings or an overly judgmental parent. I say we really need to park those things at the door, as life's too short to make what should be a chance to appreciate each other, instead of making it a toxic environment.

That being said, some ill feelings run deep. I'm just saying if you change your perspective sometimes, the weight of these matters could float a little lighter and allow us to maybe at least nudge a little closer.

Thanksgiving to me is the true kick-off of the holiday season. It's also a great reminder to tell the people around us how thankful and grateful we are for them and the things they do. This is also something that shouldn't be isolated to just this time of the year. It's a behavior that should be practiced everyday. In a world where currently social graces are rapidly fading into a dark abyss, I always make a point to thank those who still practice social politeness in their behavior to others. We need to encourage and reinforce gratefulness those that are thankfully still behaving in this respectful way.