Giving Thanks

Today I'm giving thanks.

The story is here

As I lay in bed this morning thinking about food and giving thanks, it occurred to me again how much of this holiday is spent giving thanks for some things and complete avoidance of other things. Often what I think about and end up hinting at in my not-very-consistent blog is how we as humans live very much unaware of certain things.  We are eager to give thanks for a healthy family or a roof over our head - and these things are monumentally important - but often we eat and celebrate in ways that do not truly represent "thanksgiving."  Do we think about how that juicy turkey came to be sitting on a serving platter in front of us? Do we think about who brought us the tomatoes on our November salad? Do we think about what it's like for people in other parts of the world who have nothing and no food to give thanks for?  Do we think about where all those shiny things we'll purchase tomorrow morning come from?  And doesn't learning and knowing these things put greater responsibility on us as the privileged few? If we truly thought about these issues would it change the way we live... maybe lead us to live a little more low-key... maybe consume a little less?

I've found in my own experience that the less I have/consume/"do" the more grateful I am for what I do have/consume/"do".  Something about living simply can mend the disconnect that we as Americans experience when we cloud our lives with stuff.  Perhaps living in a cabin with no toilet is not for everyone, but can I just say that the frustration of outdoor elimination (at 30 below 0) has increased the gratitude I have in my life..?  I am grateful to be at work and have a flushing toilet next to a sink to wash my hands. Isn't that what it's all about?  Finding gratitude everywhere?

And so on this day of thanksgiving I am attempting to ask more questions and ponder a little more than I would on other days.  I'm asking you to think about your life in particular.  How can you think and ponder and thank more?  How can you increase the awe of life in the humdrum of everyday?

"Freedom from Want"
Norman Rockwell, 1943

If your Thanksgiving is closer akin to Norman Rockwell's than the previous picture, then obviously you have mountains of things to be thankful for.  Sure, that's a given.  

But maybe, just maybe we can go a little deeper than that?