I’ll be keeping Thanksgiving and the holidays much simpler this year, given all that’s been going on.
Because 2020 has brought with it so many unanticipated challenges, I am feeling so much gratitude as I write this. I am thankful that my family and I are healthy, that our extended family and dear friends are ok. Though a few close friends have experienced becoming quite ill with COVID, all have recovered. We have a warm house, food on the table, and more than we need, really. We have enough.
I’m grateful when my husband walks in the door at night, that our son is coming home for the holiday, that I have been able to work from my home in the mountains with my three doggies, that I live in a beautiful place, that my life is rich in so many ways.
Gratitude is a popular topic in positive psychology. Being thankful for what we receive is strongly related to experiencing more happiness and well-being. Gratitude helps people feel more positive and appreciative of good experiences, improves health, builds strong relationships, and helps build resilience, the ability to bounce back from challenges. It is also something that we can strengthen the more we practice it in our lives.
This has been, and still is, a tough year. I don’t think any of us will soon forget 2020 in the years ahead. In the middle of all of it, though, I have a deeper appreciation for what’s most important in life. Maybe you do, too.
Thanksgiving is when we take the time to express our gratitude for the blessings in our lives. This year, especially, I am thankful just to be here, to be well, to be with my loved ones, and to experience the beauty of the world around me. And I wish those things for you.
With warm wishes for the holiday,
Suzanne