In past years there has been a bit of a debate over Thanksgiving. History, significance, shopping...
I would like to share some of my thoughts with you today. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments!
Let's start with Thanksgiving/Black Friday shopping. It was a pretty heated topic last year. Stores tried expanding the sales beyond Black Friday. Some people were in an uproar over stores having special sales start on Thanksgiving Day, during dinner time! Another group started pointing out that Thanksgiving isn't that big of a deal. It's not really a religious holiday, so why even care? Stores have sales on the Fourth of July, don't they?
I'm not here to tell you whether you should or should not shop on Thanksgiving, but there is something I wish to say about it.
What is so special about Thanksgiving? In America, specifically, there has (I think from the beginning) been a "have it all" attitude. The typical American wants to be better and have more than everyone else. The idea of possession and ownership is ingrained into our culture and our brains. Many people are still charitable and such, don't get me wrong, but even the most giving and unselfish of us have been exposed to this societal norm.
There is SO MUCH available, so many things we DON'T have. It's easy to get caught up in this. It's frustrating really. So many choices, so many things left behind. It's enough to drive anyone crazy.
That is why we need Thanksgiving. Is it so hard to take one day out of the entire year to be grateful (Of course, we'd all be a lot better off if we were grateful every day)?
The point is, for one day we get to take a break from wanting more and celebrate all that we have.
In my experience it seems that those who have the least are often the most grateful.
Also, with the economy being the way it has been, many Americans feel stuck and even cheated. They were told that if they worked hard and got an education, they would have the job they want with a comfortable wage... but that didn't happen. It's easy to feel like you have nothing to be grateful for. That is why we need Thanksgiving. I'm not saying we need to be complacent our give up on improving our situation. But gratitude goes a long way. There is so much we were told we would have that we don't, but there is SO MUCH MORE that we do have.
If you're having trouble finding things to be grateful for, start with the basics. I heard a quote a few days ago, and it inspired me to come up with a question and exercise. Ask yourself, if you woke up tomorrow with nothing, what would you miss first? Shelter? Clothing? Water? Food? If you had basic needs satisfied, what would you miss then? Write your answers down if you wish, or just lose yourself in the thought. All those things you came up with... those are what you can be grateful for. And that's all after being grateful for life and existence.
If you're still having trouble being grateful because of depression or something else, know that you're not alone. Talk to someone. Ask them the question. Find one thing to be grateful for and cling to it. Sometimes the first thing I can be grateful for is my experience that helps me help others. Suffering allows you to empathize with others who are suffering. Find your one thing and then build on it. You need the opportunity to feel grateful, too. You are worth it.
There is still much to be said about the shady history behind Thanksgiving. Our country has a dark past in when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans. The Thanksgiving tradition of pilgrims and natives happily coexisting and helping each other is largely a myth. Perhaps the Native inhabitants of America DID help the pilgrims and share a harvest meal... but they were punished for it for generations. For me, Thanksgiving is partly a day of remembrance for all the lives lost and irreversibly damaged. That, however was not the beginning of Thanksgiving. Who says the Native Americans didn't already have a harvest celebration that the pilgrims just adopted into their own? I don't know, it just makes sense to me. It seems that people have celebrated the harvest from the beginning. Many countries have their own harvest holiday. Most of us don't labour on the farm and have a big harvest just before winter, but it still happens. Yes, we have food all year round, but it's different in the winter. We have a supply of food during the winter, but the weather is still cold. The harvest celebration is still very much significant.
I am most grateful for my relationships. Family, children, friends, acquaintances... They are to me what life is about. I am also very grateful for a secure, warm, sturdy home to keep my family and others safe in. So many in the world don't even have shelter... I'm grateful for the ability to read and write (as you can tell from my blog).
I could go on and on. There are also many material and unessential things I am grateful for. My dolls, for instance, and delicious-tasting food (that is, of course, on top of being grateful for just having food to eat, which is a primal need).
My list does not stop there. In fact, I don't know if it ever stops! Once I get going, there are always more things to think of.
I hope you all had a wonderful, thankful Thanksgiving. Before rushing off to do holiday shopping, maybe we can linger a little longer at the buffet of things to be grateful for. Better yet, let's keep our hearts full of gratitude until next Thanksgiving.
I would like to share some of my thoughts with you today. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments!
Let's start with Thanksgiving/Black Friday shopping. It was a pretty heated topic last year. Stores tried expanding the sales beyond Black Friday. Some people were in an uproar over stores having special sales start on Thanksgiving Day, during dinner time! Another group started pointing out that Thanksgiving isn't that big of a deal. It's not really a religious holiday, so why even care? Stores have sales on the Fourth of July, don't they?
I'm not here to tell you whether you should or should not shop on Thanksgiving, but there is something I wish to say about it.
What is so special about Thanksgiving? In America, specifically, there has (I think from the beginning) been a "have it all" attitude. The typical American wants to be better and have more than everyone else. The idea of possession and ownership is ingrained into our culture and our brains. Many people are still charitable and such, don't get me wrong, but even the most giving and unselfish of us have been exposed to this societal norm.
There is SO MUCH available, so many things we DON'T have. It's easy to get caught up in this. It's frustrating really. So many choices, so many things left behind. It's enough to drive anyone crazy.
That is why we need Thanksgiving. Is it so hard to take one day out of the entire year to be grateful (Of course, we'd all be a lot better off if we were grateful every day)?
The point is, for one day we get to take a break from wanting more and celebrate all that we have.
In my experience it seems that those who have the least are often the most grateful.
Also, with the economy being the way it has been, many Americans feel stuck and even cheated. They were told that if they worked hard and got an education, they would have the job they want with a comfortable wage... but that didn't happen. It's easy to feel like you have nothing to be grateful for. That is why we need Thanksgiving. I'm not saying we need to be complacent our give up on improving our situation. But gratitude goes a long way. There is so much we were told we would have that we don't, but there is SO MUCH MORE that we do have.
If you're having trouble finding things to be grateful for, start with the basics. I heard a quote a few days ago, and it inspired me to come up with a question and exercise. Ask yourself, if you woke up tomorrow with nothing, what would you miss first? Shelter? Clothing? Water? Food? If you had basic needs satisfied, what would you miss then? Write your answers down if you wish, or just lose yourself in the thought. All those things you came up with... those are what you can be grateful for. And that's all after being grateful for life and existence.
If you're still having trouble being grateful because of depression or something else, know that you're not alone. Talk to someone. Ask them the question. Find one thing to be grateful for and cling to it. Sometimes the first thing I can be grateful for is my experience that helps me help others. Suffering allows you to empathize with others who are suffering. Find your one thing and then build on it. You need the opportunity to feel grateful, too. You are worth it.
There is still much to be said about the shady history behind Thanksgiving. Our country has a dark past in when it comes to the treatment of Native Americans. The Thanksgiving tradition of pilgrims and natives happily coexisting and helping each other is largely a myth. Perhaps the Native inhabitants of America DID help the pilgrims and share a harvest meal... but they were punished for it for generations. For me, Thanksgiving is partly a day of remembrance for all the lives lost and irreversibly damaged. That, however was not the beginning of Thanksgiving. Who says the Native Americans didn't already have a harvest celebration that the pilgrims just adopted into their own? I don't know, it just makes sense to me. It seems that people have celebrated the harvest from the beginning. Many countries have their own harvest holiday. Most of us don't labour on the farm and have a big harvest just before winter, but it still happens. Yes, we have food all year round, but it's different in the winter. We have a supply of food during the winter, but the weather is still cold. The harvest celebration is still very much significant.
I am most grateful for my relationships. Family, children, friends, acquaintances... They are to me what life is about. I am also very grateful for a secure, warm, sturdy home to keep my family and others safe in. So many in the world don't even have shelter... I'm grateful for the ability to read and write (as you can tell from my blog).
I could go on and on. There are also many material and unessential things I am grateful for. My dolls, for instance, and delicious-tasting food (that is, of course, on top of being grateful for just having food to eat, which is a primal need).
My list does not stop there. In fact, I don't know if it ever stops! Once I get going, there are always more things to think of.
I hope you all had a wonderful, thankful Thanksgiving. Before rushing off to do holiday shopping, maybe we can linger a little longer at the buffet of things to be grateful for. Better yet, let's keep our hearts full of gratitude until next Thanksgiving.
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