Are You Still Thankful?

As the month of November arrived, the annual onslaught of daily posts began to show up on Facebook and other social media platforms. Facebook walls were filled with messages reading "I'm thankful for this" and "I'm thankful for that". The posts prompted a conversation between one of my managers and myself. While we certainly were not being judgmental of anyone posting, we agreed that far too often, we get caught up in the "Thanksgiving" hype and suddenly become thankful in the month of November. We further agreed that in reality everyday ought to be a day of thanksgiving.

Of course it made me think (doesn't almost everything?) about the topic as Thanksgiving day drew closer, and eventually passed. Far too often, we focus on the things that are missing from our lives, and perhaps take the things we do have for granted. If we are honest, many of us let football games, plans for Black Friday, or even the stressful preparation of the Thanksgiving meal distract us, so we kind of skipped the "thanks" portion of thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving, the number of "thankful" posts had dwindled to almost nothing.

Posting on a social media site does not make any one more or less thankful. In fact it has nothing to do with it. It has everything to do with our attitudes. Do we choose to be thankful just when the holiday is near, or is being being thankful a daily part of our lives? What would happen in our lives, if we took just a moment every day, and simply found one thing we could be thankful for? Certainly there are more than 365 things we could be thankful for. Perhaps the negatives in our life will diminish as we focus our attention on the many things we have to be thankful for.

Challenge yourself and give it a try, as I see it, there is nothing to lose, and perhaps a more positive outlook on life to gain.