I like Halloween. I love Christmas. But I cherish Thanksgiving.
And it’s not just because of the food (oh the glorious food!). Thanksgiving is the one holiday we should celebrate everyday (just not the food part, though. I already struggle enough with my weight.)
Being thankful is a gift in its own right. I changes how you see the world and like bacon, it makes everything better. Even if you are going through Hell, if you can find something that’s a blessing to focus on, it makes the trip easier to stomach. I think about Victor Frankl’s classic book Man’s Search of Meaning. He wrote about how some could survive in the concentration camps by finding something small to believe in. And others would fall ill immediately because they lost hope.
I’m not a Pollyanna and I know Frankl wasn’t either. But the bottom line is this: Accept your reality. Find the good in it to buoy yourself during the storm. Then try to fix what you can.
I know. It’s hard. Trust me, I know. I don’t come by naturally. I’m generally a “glass-half-empty” kind of guy. I live in a negative world.
So I make the effort to be thankful. And I have so much to be thankful for. I married a wonderful woman. We have three great kids. I am employed. I get to use my talent. I come from a solid family. I’ve worked with some amazing people. I survived cancer.
You get my point. I could fill this page with blessings.
I do that when things really suck. I have a book I fill with lists. And it really seems to work. I honed this skill when I was freaking out after being diagnosed with cancer. I became a Jedi Master when my career started spinning out of control.
So I declare today Thanksgiving (without the Turkey) Day. And tomorrow. And the next day.
(Maybe I will slip in a piece of pumpkin pie.)