 |
| Surprise them with a Post-It Thank You |
It’s more than just a special day
of the year that started with the pilgrims and Indians over tables of abundant
food. It’s a day for giving thanks that
life spared you for another year. On November
first, as is typical when we are reminded of this holiday, social media sites
were full of “Today I am thankful for” statuses. They will continue through till turkey day
and even may continue for a couple of days after Thanksgiving has been devoured
and the turkey deboned. Then, it quickly
goes from “I’m thankful” to “I want.”
Gratitude is replaced by greed and the focus of the world shifts.
I’m just as guilty. I started my “Be Thankful” posts on the first
day of the month and have faithfully made one every day hence, sometimes with a
comedic twist so as not to get too mushy.
I mean well, and I am thankful.
Truly, I am. It’s just that
sometimes life becomes so busy that I forget to stop and show it. My mind is onto the next project and
adventure, and I neglect to savor the past, thanking those that made it
possible. I’m embarrassed by that
admission, because I really do have quite a bit for which to be thankful. I have a great family, fantastic friends and
the ability to do what I love to do. Not
everyone can say that. I am blessed
beyond measure.
I’d wager you are, as well. While life may be tough at times, I am sure
there are things you can be thankful for, such as sight. You’re reading this, so you have vision even
if it’s through glasses or contacts, other things you can be thankful for, and
you have the intelligence to read and comprehend. Not everyone can. You also have the internet, which connects
you to family and friends, new and old as well as a wealth of information and
adventures. And if you keep returning to
The Mess, then obviously, you’ve been blessed with good taste, and for that I
am thankful.
The truth is, we all have
something to be grateful for and we need to express it more than one day a
year. It may be hard. Christmas is six weeks away and ads are
everywhere tempting our “I Want” buttons, making it easy to push gratitude to
the side and don the cloak of greed. Our
wish lists get longer and longer and the items more expensive. We deserve it, after all. Don’t we?
We’ll change our focus in January when we’re trying to come up with
resolutions we won’t break in two days.
For now, however, it’s “let me tell you what I want.”
I don’t want to live that
way. Oh, I want things, and my wish list
is long, trust me. Yet, I don’t want
that to be my focus. I don’t want to live a life of accumulation. I don’t want to have the mindset of what can
I get, but rather of what can I give. My
life should not flow inward, but outward as I turn Thanksgiving Day into a
thankful spirit that permeates my life every minute of every day.
The more we live our life with a
grateful heart, the more our whole attitude towards things will change. Thankful people are happy people and happy
people are a joy to be around.
I’m making my New Year’s
resolution early this year. I want to
live a life of the grateful, instead of the self-centered. I want to say “Thank you,” not only to the
people around me, but to the creation that surrounds me and the universe that
guides me. With every breath we are
blessed to take there should come an exhalation of gratitude for we are not guaranteed
another inhale. So start today, and view
the world with eyes that are guided by a heart of thanks and I promise you’ll
live happier and longer.
*
* * * *
Suggested Posts ~ Thanksgiving Every Day
Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
Very nice blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catherine. :)
Delete