Giving Thanks

(From Thanksgiving week)

       The Thanksgiving holiday is the time of year when we are officially thankful.  We even take off of work to be thankful, unless we’re working retail and getting things set-up for the day after Thanksgiving.

       At the same time as we’re supposed to be officially thankful, we traditionally get together with large family groups in order to consume large quantities of food, and in many families, alcohol, and watch football games.

       In many homes the actual official moment of thankfulness comes as everyone sits down at the table and/or children’s table.  Sometimes the head of the family says a prayer or a heartfelt expression of thankfulness.  Some families go around the table to let everyone express something for which they are grateful.

       These are both really nice traditions, but the expectations are sometimes greater than the reality.  My mom would take it upon herself to say something meaningful, and someone would snicker or make a quiet remark in fun, and the result would be tears.  You’d think there could be one time of the year when we wouldn’t joke around, but you’d be wrong.

       I think a day to be thankful is a really good idea.  We should be thankful every day, of course, and we probably are, even if we’re not really thinking about it as much as we should.

       Feeling gratitude turns out to make people happier.  A study done by Harvard Health says so.  Thinking you can’t be happy until you get everything you want is a recipe for being unhappy, but being grateful for what you have makes you feel good.

       If you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table – even if nobody makes you tell why you’re thankful – it is a good time to take a moment to be grateful for being alive.  The physical and emotional aches and pains we suffer are all reminders that we have this amazing gift of life, and the opportunities to live it well. 

       Eating too much and watching football are all part of Thanksgiving, but to look around and appreciate what you have, and who you have in your life, might make the Thanksgiving experience more complete.   

       And Tums. Lots of Tums.