Thanksgiving 2020

Since I usually write on Thursdays, I get every Thanksgiving. It looks like I'll get Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve this year as well.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday, a celebration of harvest and a day for giving thanks to whoever or whatever you credit with the blessings you've accumulated over the year. It doesn't matter if it's a deity or three, or just the person who puts food on your table. Maybe it's yourself for getting out of bed every morning and making sure you're taking care of yourself. Be thankful and give thanks to the sources of good in your life.

This year has been a mess on a lot of levels, but we should all be able to find something to be thankful for. Family, friends, food, shelter, or just surviving another year, it doesn't matter what you're thankful for as long as you can recognize that you do have blessings in your life. If you can't think of anything to be thankful for, drop me a note and I'll see if we can't find at least one blessing in your life.

Look around and see how many things went right this year instead of focusing on all of the things that went wrong. A now-departed friend used to always say that "No matter how bad your life is, someone out there has it worse," and we'd look for those poor souls. Working in 100°F heat in an open field with no shade? Yeah, at least I'm not cleaning porta-potties at a construction site in the same heat. Driving across three states for 16 hours to get to a job with no radio or air conditioning? At least I'm not stuck behind a desk in a windowless cubicle farm. Boss is a jerk and an idiot? At least I have a job that pays some of the bills while I'm looking for a better one.

Life is what you make of it. Learn from the bad parts and cherish the good parts; it'll help you be mentally prepared for the next bad part that comes along.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and I'll see you next week.