Thanks Be for Thanks!
According to the history books, the Pilgrims celebrated the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621. Now, after almost 400 years, the tradition continues – albeit with some modern day twists that would likely make the Pilgrims stand upside down on their buckle brimmed hats in bewilderment and panic over such culinary imposters as meatless turkey and gluten free potatoes. However, despite the clear differences between then and now, the common denominator between a 17th century Thanksgiving and today is the celebration of abundance in whatever form: love, family, friendship, health, food, clothing, shelter...LIFE. This particular holiday highlights the theme of gratitude; a theme that is researched and spoken about in popular psychology circles as a form of healing that costs nothing and reaps benefits in all aspects of our physical, emotional, professional, and social lives. Essentially, gratitude is a free, potent, and evidence-based antidote to everyday suffering that is available and accessible to all of us. And, still, it’s underutilized and easily let go of in times of discomfort – the moments, of course, when we need it most.Though I can’t say for sure, I imagine the Pilgrims would believe we’ve overcomplicated our lives with worry, fear, and escapisms as much as we’ve disgraced their interpretation of meat and potatoes with substitutions, modifications, and exotic infusions. And while it’s true that living life, in general, has become something quite different from what their experience was in terms of the smorgasbord of options, experiences, beliefs, and values we, as a culture, exercise, I think it’s also true that giving thanks, in its simplest, most primitive form, can not be underestimated as a grounding, perspective-giving force.There is no getting around the fact that life is hard, unexpected things happen, we don’t always get what we want, people can hurt us, and we can disappoint the ones we love. We can act as if none of those things are true (otherwise known as denial) or face reality with an open mind and heart to all of the wonderful, exhilarating, mundane, and, yes, sometimes heartbreaking moments that comprise being alive. If you choose the latter (and I hope you do), know that a myriad practices are available to support you along your way…gratitude is just one of them and it’s a solid place to start. We need to be able to remind ourselves that when we have a bad day, tomorrow will come; that we can’t know joy without understanding our pain; that on the other side of fear is courage; and, no matter what comes, we still have the power of our most fundamental life-giving source: breath. Forgetting to be grateful or dismissing it altogether as bogus is as much a practice as actively making time for it on your daily planner. So, be careful with your intentions – you will get back exactly what you put out.