THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, this blog must say something about being thankful, right?

But what is the “right” way to approach Thanksgiving? Should I think of what I am most thankful for? How about the top 10 in countdown fashion, properly naming God (too bad for those who can only thank their lucky stars), family, or spouse for the top slot. Or perhaps I should attempt to be really thankful, by trying to come up with a list of 100 things! Or 250? Could I even stretch it to 500? With a big list, I could come up a lot of inverted entries – I am thankful I am not sick, or not like my obnoxious neighbor…

But after creating the world’s greatest list, what would I do with it? Do I post it on my website, email it to everyone in my address book (with pleas to forward it to everyone you know!), or just stick it on the fridge?

It doesn’t take a lot of thought to conclude that creating a ‘thankful for’ list alone doesn’t accomplish much. In fact, if the list is created by those gathered around the table waiting to take their first bite, the major benefit of making that list is that the food gets cold.

After pondering such things, I’ve concluded that the benefit of Thanksgiving is realized when it prompts us to maintain a thankful spirit and/or express our appreciation & gratitude to others. In that case, creating a resolution would be more effective than building a list. For example, I resolve to focus on what I am happy for rather than what I am mad about – from now on. Or I resolve to express gratitude to others, rather than saying nothing.

But having said that and giving it some thought, what will I really do? More than likely I will quickly abandon and forget what I should do, and instead have another piece of pie and speculate on what I am going to get for Christmas. How about you?