Hello to all, Hello to myself,

I have two thoughts to share today.

Thought 1.  I was reflecting on the meaning of ‘Thanksgiving’, the holiday.  I think it is a wonderful concept no matter how you interpret it… Is it a day in which we give – thanks for the blessings in our lives over the past year?  Or, Is it when we are thankful for the opportunities when we were able to give to others?   Both are great gifts.  I will confess that I have more to be thankful for as a receiver than as a giver.  And, I want to be thoughtful of both.  I need to improve my gratitude for all my blessings of love, kindness, and compassion that I receive… Moreover, I need to be more present and active in giving of the same.

It is such a magnificent thing, when we stop complaining, stop wanting, stop needing, stop longing for the future, stop lingering in the past… and for one day, we are our most present selves.  We are full of gratitude, we are abundantly satisfied, we appreciate exactly what we have.  In most cases, we are over-full with turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.  It really is a special day.

So, then my question is…”why do we do this just one day a year?”.  Why not call the last Thursday of November… The Great Thanksgiving.  An annual day of reflection, gratitude, presence, and simple abundance.  Then we can have a Thanksgiving Dinner/Day every day, every week, or every month.  I am personally thinking about instituting Thanksgiving Dinner on the last Thursday of every month with my family.  We can invite over loved ones, or liked ones, or anyones.  We can take that time to be aware of our ongoing blessings, share our hearts, share our gratitude, and be more presently thankful.

Thought 2.  Black Friday.  The day that follows one of the most selfless day, in our culture, is one of the most selfish.  The day is defined by our wanting more, our needing more, our “not enough” culture.  It is saddening to me that this day of ‘longing for stuff’ is right after a day of great gratitude and wholeness.

At first thought, it made me think of how whimsically we can disconnect from the magnitude of peace and joy that being thankful brings to our lives.  I understand the financial incentive of trying to get a good deal on the material items that we need/want.  However, it just seemed to make a major statement on the values and consciousness of our society when this frenzy of wanting is poetically juxtaposed to the annual day of gratitude, abundance, and communion.

At second thought, I realized that this abrupt clash of mindsets is a most powerful reminder for me to be evermore mindful of my true values, my true gifts, and the overflow of abundance that is at my fingertips as a financially fortunate american.  It is up to me to see the truth.  All day I was upset with my impression of the actions of the perceived superficial indulgence of others.  And now, at the end of the day… I can only think that I wish a full bounty for all people… the ones who are in lines at stores, the ones working in those shops, the ones who have found the deal of the day, the ones who will try again tomorrow, the ones who cannot afford to participate, the ones who chose not to participate, the ones who do not know what Black Friday is, the one-and-all.  Because, in the light of the stark contrast of these two days; I can see more clearly the beauty of all that I am truly thankful for in life.

I am thankful for yesterday, and I am thankful for today.

Thank you for being, Michael.