I would have done a special holiday blog post yesterday but I was exceptionally tired and had a very long day. But that does not stop me from talking about Thanksgiving today.
Here in America, we were all brought up knowing the "true" origins of Thanksgiving. Well I have something to say about that.
PHOOEY!
Okay yes, there were pilgrims and Indians (Native Americans) and a feast that consisted of almost NOTHING that we serve on Thanksgiving today, but no one truly cares about all that anymore.
When I was in high school, almost every Thursday in my chorus class we had "Thankful Thursday." My chorus teacher would send around a "magic wand" and only the person with the magic want could speak about what they were thankful for. Many people would assume, like I had originally, that teenagers would abuse this privilege and start saying nasty and unwelcoming things. The truth is, they didn't.
I started becoming impressed with what people were thankful for and even more impressive was the attention that the class (which was pretty large at about 80 people or so) gave the speaker. And if the person had nothing that they were particularly thankful for that week, they just passed the wand along. Naturally there was some side conversations at times but by-and-large people were attentive and respectful.
Why don't we do this today?
I am widely known as an open, honest, and happy person. Yes, I've had some bad things happen to me but focusing on them is exactly what society wants because it gives us attention. There are few news stories that could be labeled "positive," almost zero TV shows or movies without some type of negative factor that needs to be resolved, and rarely does a doctor or psychiatrist say that everything is perfect and you don't need to do a thing to improve your health or mental well being.
Why not?
I'll tell you why not. Happiness almost never makes any money. Our society is riddled with expressions like "nice guys finish last." I went to the doctor last year and you know what I was told? I have "borderline" depression (gee, a rough life and a happy personality definitely are symptoms) and I need to take a vitamin D supplement which was promptly faxed over to my neighborhood Walgreens. Would telling me that I was healthy and maybe need a little more sun have been too much? (No I didn't pay to take the supplement.)
These negativities in our world make it difficult to be thankful or appreciative of people or what we have. So of course there's Thanksgiving. A day where people typically complain about cooking for scores of people or not wanting this person to come over or not enough of this or that. "Misery loves company."
Would being grateful for something really kill you?
I think it's a shame that our society degrades people the way we do. "She's too fat" or "he's such a jerk" or gossiping about someone you don't even know. Magazines are a great help to this. "What's hot and what's not." What celebrities are getting divorced. What celebrities are getting married because of money or pressure. Newspapers with drug busts, murders, and political arguments. It's enough to make anyone depressed just reading about it. But hey, why not see a shrink, get an SSRI, and shell out some more money for that? (Note: I understand that there are genuine cases of mental illness but I feel depression is the most over-prescribed.)
What's the solution?
Be happy that you have a loving husband or that you actually have a job or that you have some food on your plate. When I volunteered in Washington, D.C., they had a homeless man come in to speak about what happened to him. It turns out that his house burned down, then shortly after he lost his job, then his car broke down, and that was it for him. He was on the street. It's that easy. A series of bad incidents can leave you without. And people in America are too spoiled to realize that.
I want everyone in this world, but especially everyone reading this article, to be grateful about at least one thing everyday. The fact that you can read this article means you have access to the internet somehow and that is amazing. That's just one thing to get you started.
My chorus teacher said that Thanksgiving is the "Ultimate Thankful Thursday." Just because Thanksgiving's over doesn't mean you can't be thankful right now. Go around your dinner table and say one thing you're thankful for. If you teach or are a parent, ask your kids what they're grateful for. At work? As your co-workers. You might be impressed with what they say.
Today, even though it's no longer Thanksgiving, I want to provide a list of ten things I'm thankful for, in no particular order. I hope that everyone can consider doing the same.
Ten Things I'm Thankful For
1) My fiance. No one else in the whole world could take his place. He is wonderful.
2) My grandparents. I love them so much. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them.
3) My ability to travel. My lifelong dream is coming true.
4) That I have a family. So many people forget that there are people who don't have one. I care about every single person in my family from my siblings to my parents.
5) My friends. I only have a few but that makes them more special to me. I am grateful for them.
6) Crafts. A hobby that I truly love that helps me get through my day.
7) Kids. Especially the ones that I have babysat over the years. I have been blessed with some amazing children.
8) God. People forget that they should be thankful for what they believe in. It is the cornerstone in one's life.
9) My laptop. My access to the world.
10) Sagira, my new kitty. She is about a year and a half and my grandparents agreed to allow her into their home as a temporary residence.
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| Sagira's Story: As I mentioned before, I volunteer at HEART Animal Rescue, where they mostly have cats. While I was working there, one cat named Rootie, came up to me. I started petting her and before I knew it I was holding her and giving her love. I asked what her name was, then put her down. Thinking nothing of it (I play with and pet lots of cats), I found her the next time I was at the shelter and started petting and scratching her again. I found that she had a attachment for me and I was developing an attachment for her despite the fact that I'm staying with my grandma who already has two cats. Rootie started to stand up when I gave her a hello scratch on the head and almost jumped into my arms at one point. I started talking about her to my fiance, grandma, and the other volunteers at the shelter who lobbied for me to get her. I asked how old she is because she is very petite and discovered she's actually a year and a half. I found out she needed surgery to have ear polyps removed and has a slight head tilt as a result. She was also found abandoned at about four months old on one of the nearby state routes, thus contributing to her name "Rootie." She was clearly the runt of her litter, or came from rather small parents because she weighs in at less than six pounds. I found myself hoping she was still at the shelter when I would arrive there and nervous at home when I wasn't at the shelter because I didn't want her to go to any other home but mine. I came home one day and my grandma said to me that we could get Rootie! I was so excited! I e-mailed someone from the shelter almost immediately and after filling out an online application picked her up the next evening and she was home within 24 hours of knowing I could have her. I discovered that she had been with the shelter for over a year, which saddened me a great deal and made me realize why people were really hoping I'd take her. Upon bringing her home, I noticed that even though she's so thin, she can stretch longer than either of my grandmother's other cats, and despite likely being partially deaf from surgery, has huge ears compared to her head. Her tail is almost as long as her body and I find her absolutely charming. Because I found her to look rather Egyptian, I decided to rename her Sagira (sah-GEAR-ah) which means "little one" in Egyptian (and Arabic, apparently). She's working on adjusting and I love her dearly. |
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| Isn't she adorable? (And little?) |
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| How I sometimes feel around kitties. |
