Here's the thing, we can't just be thankful during November! There is so much more to be thankful for on a daily basis throughout the entire year. The moment the month of November rolls in, everyone starts saying what they are thankful for, their jobs, their health, their houses, their cars, their finances, their family, etc. What happened to the other 11 months to be thankful for? Thanksgiving is all about being thankful, but do we really need a big meal, extensive shopping deals, a Macy's Day Parade with large floating balloons, NFL football and NBA basketball games while waiting for the food coma and afternoon nap to kick in? We don't need any of that to be thankful. Thanksgiving is not supposed to be a day where you remember to be thankful for things or "stuff," but a reminder of all the things you are thankful for every day of our lives.
As life moves at "warp speed" these days getting busier and busier, us as humans sometimes forget all of the large and small things we can be thankful for every day of our lives. Stress, worry, time constraints, projects, assignments, commuting, traffic, work, and the constant "buzzing around" in life can make things appear worse or totally disconnected from life than they have to be. Having an "attitude for gratitude" and seeing the beauty in everything can not only be a blessing but also help us get grounded and come back down to earth when we feel like we are flying around with no direction! Establishing a daily "Grateful Eight" mindset before our feet even touch the floor with at least eight things we can be thankful for can not only set an amazing tone for the day ahead, we really can see life in a whole new light on a daily basis and don't have to wait for the month of November to do so.
Thankful for clean drinking water. Thankful for a roof over our heads. Thankful for a good night's sleep. Thankful for a nice warm shower. Thankful for the snooze button on the alarm clock for the extra 20 minutes of sleep we might need. Thankful for clothes to wear daily. Thankful for a healthy body and mind to go out and navigate this fast, crazy and chaotic world of ours. Last but not least, thankful for that nice cup of morning coffee or tea to get the engine running. Many combinations, many ways to be thankful and we can "choose" to be thankful on a daily basis.
Life, one day at a time is a gift (that is why we refer to it as the "present") and for that we should all be very thankful! We can also be "super thankful" one day out of the year for food comas, great shopping deals, power naps, fun parades, epic sporting events, nice big meals with lots of leftovers, or celebrating the meaning of Thanksgiving in November for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Being truly thankful can come daily for all of us, in many different ways, forms, and blessings.
"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."
-William Arthur Ward
