For most people, Thanksgiving is all about the pie, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and of course, the turkey. It is the day we all get to eat our hearts out, and it is absolutely, unequivocally, deliciously socially acceptable. It is heaven on earth. I remember miles and miles of steaming food laid out decoratively in a line, and waiting eagerly to grab my plate and load it up. The anticipation was unbearable, and it was even worse when I was in the kitchen with my mom, before the big meal to help her prepare. But honestly, the food never was my favorite part.
I wasn’t allowed to celebrate traditional holidays as a kid growing up in a complicated Jehovah’s Witness household, but for some reason, we always had a Thanksgiving dinner. We always invited the whole “fam-damily” over for a huge meal and enjoyed cracking jokes and hearing about one another’s lives. That is what Thanksgiving is all about to me. I love having that time with my family for a day while we stuff ourselves silly and share our gratitude for one another. It was like magic. As I grew up, I began feeling questioning why we needed a holiday to be thankful and to see one another.
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Gratitude is a way of life, it is not a single day in November. Just like kindness is a lifestyle, not an excuse to receive presents under a decorated tree. It is a choice and it is liberating. Here are a few tips to welcome gratitude into your heart every day of the year:
1. Smile! Smile all the time. Smile like an idiot. Smile because you can. Smile because the world around you is beautiful. Smile because you adore your S.O. or your best friend. Smile because it is a new day with new opportunities. Smile for you.
2. Try a Gratitude Journal. This is a wonderful way to recognize all kinds of things to be grateful for. An amazing challenge is to list 5 things you are grateful for every morning or night. If you really want to challenge yourself, do both! Start and end your day each day with gratitude and happiness and see what changes in your mind and heart!
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3. “High-Five” your challenges. Come up with five things you are grateful for through a trial in your life. These things could be directly related to the trial or something that made the trial more bearable. For example, if you are late to an important meeting, take a moment to be grateful for your car, the coffee you got that made you late, and that killer song that just came on the radio you wouldn’t have listened to if you had been on time. The situation may still be stressful, and it certainly did not lose its importance, but now you can approach the issue with a clearer head and a mindful heart.
4. Everything happens for a reason. This is something you must constantly remind yourself and truly believe. Everything happens for you, not to you, and everything comes with a lesson, even if it is just to show you what you do not want more of in your life. Even the most hopeless trials make you stronger and gives you skills to face the next one with more courage.
5. Switch “I’m sorry” for “Thank you.” This honors you and them. Instead of “I’m sorry I’m late!” change it to “Thank you for waiting for me,” or “Thank you for your patience.” This changed my life and it feels so much better for both parties. “I’m sorry,” can feel empty sometimes, but “thank you,” is so powerful. It shows you are grateful for them and willing to show them that. Say thank you to yourself as well. You deserve it!
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6. Express your love for life however you can. For some this looks like dancing and singing like a fool. For others, it is doodling or creating a masterpiece. For others it is composing music or writing in a blog. Use your passions unapologetically to honor life and all its wonderful opportunities. Express yourself and love it.
7. Celebrate the good stuff. Enjoy your accomplishments and celebrate the good things going for you. Celebrate your body for being an incredible machine getting you through every day. Celebrate your mind, body, and spirit because you are breathtakingly awesome –plain and simple. Own it.
Living in gratitude is a shift. It can be hard because we have been indoctrinated to focus on the bad. It seems that everything around us encourages negativity, especially in an age of social media. But the ultimate rebellion and the ultimate change for the man in the mirror is to combat that pain and negativity. Be actively positive and grateful for all things around you. Be thankful for yourself, for the air you breathe (which, lets face it, the air sucks in Utah and winter is coming, but, remember, every breath is an effortless miracle), and for the love you feel toward others and for yourself, especially when it is hard to love yourself. Living in gratitude is earth shattering. Can you imagine living every day like it is Thanksgiving? Spoiler alert: it would be wonderful…so let’s all give it a try.