Thankfulness

Happy November 1!  It blows my mind that we are closing in on another holiday season!!

Yesterday, it struck me like a bolt of lightening that we have a lot to be thankful for.  On my part, I have a job I love.  A  family full of people I not only love but also like.  More than enough food...a warm house...more than 1 pair of shoes...the list is really, really too big to put here...

And yet, what does our society teach us to focus on?  Lack.  Don't have enough health.  Not enough money.  Certainly enough time (are you kidding me?  We have never had any more time than this!  Why is it we don't think we have enough??  Why don't we get frustrated we have too many great ways to spend our time, instead?) 

Start paying attention to what's on TV.  Start to notice how many times commercials use the subtle message of lack....constantly reinforcing the idea that you don't have enough....aren't good enough....

Well, I'm tired of it!!  Yes, these are challenging times.  We see bad stuff on the news all the time.  But I'm here to say "So what?!"  We are blessed.  We could all sit down tonight and be able to fill a sheet of notebook paper with things we are thankful for.  (comfy socks, anyone?)

And thankfulness is the best antidote to feeling lack.  Not enough health in your life?  Well take a look around you.  You won't have to look that hard to find someone worse off than you.  Right now, you have the ability to read this!  That means your eyes and your brain are communicating -- that right there should be enough.  You're blessed enough to have electricity to read this.  You are likely to be sitting some place warm right now. 

I'd like to propose you spend the month of November mindfully being thankful for all of the blessings in your life.  For every opportunity to eat.  For every drink of clean water.  For every opportunity to sit down on your couch in the evening and every time you walk to your desk at work.

You are here.  You have the ability to appreciate the good things in your life.  You have the ability to change those things that aren't working for you.

We are blessed.  If we can spend the next 30 days remembering that, how much might it change our compulsive holiday eating?  Hmmmmm......food for thought.

(as an aside:  if you're on Facebook and want to join the Thankfulness conversation, please feel free to join us over there for our 30 Days of Thankfulness!)