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Thanksgiving and ‘Airships’…
Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving earlier this month, but Americans have a few weeks before the aroma of fresh turkey floats through their kitchens. Separated in date, but unified in spirit, Canadian and American Thanksgiving is a time of appreciation and gratitude. It’s a time to acknowledge and pay homage to everything right in our lives. Or is it?
Shopping during Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I couldn’t help noticing that ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ was rarely heard. I’d deem it amusing were it not for the surprised looks on store clerk faces when I offered a “Happy Thanksgiving” in response to their fatigued “Have a nice day” utterances. Maybe a sign of my cumulative years, but it seems there’s a lot less ‘Thanks’ and a lot less ‘Giving’ than there used to be.
Does anyone give thanks for anything anymore anyhow? Perhaps the moment is ripe to abolish “Happy Thanksgiving” and substitute it with something more apropos. “Happy Giving Me” or “Happy Entitlement” – would they work? We could host a ‘Happy Entitlement’ dinner with everyone bringing food and gifts, spending the evening singing praises to the host, telling him how ‘special’ he is. The evening could be crowned with an award of some sort – something honoring the host’s character and personal heroics, whatever they might be.
Am I facetious? Admittedly yes, for we know most people are thankful for everything right in their lives – be it their family and friends, food on the table and a roof over their heads. But, and this is a big but, there are far too many of us going through life without giving much thought to how good we have it. We complain at the slightest inconvenience, we look down at people less fortunate than us, and our egos have become inflated to the point that German airships seem minuscule in comparison. Thankfully, Thanksgiving helps bring those ‘airships’ back to earth.
To celebrate Thanksgiving, humility and modesty are required. Gratitude isn’t possible without them. To be thankful is to show reverence to something greater than us, something above and beyond our capabilities and wherewithal. It’s the ability to admit that we don’t have all the answers, and it’s the ability to recognize those who have helped us achieve what we have achieved. Above all, it’s the ability to show and appreciate the miracle that life is, and to never take it for granted. Never take it for granted – now there’s a set of words that describe Thanksgiving well.
So when carving that turkey this Thanksgiving season, pause, think, and give thanks. Be sure to give genuine thanks, for without it, you’re as good as that turkey on the silver plate. And in the process, you’ll also be keeping that ‘airship’ grounded.
Have a great Thanksgiving season and for more check out The C.A.T. Principle: Change, Action, Trust – Words to Live By, a 2014 Global Ebook Awards Nominee, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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