Norman Rockwell: Freedom from Want
I realize that this will likely be one of the approximately one million Thanksgiving-related posts published over the next couple of days.
However, since one of my personal efforts over the past few years is to make more of a conscious effort to look for things to be thankful for and to just be thankful in general, I felt compelled to post. 🙂
Why Is It So Easy to Find the Bad Things and So Hard to Find the Good?
It can be really hard sometimes to find things to celebrate or things to be thankful for, particularly since the media (and maybe even human nature in general) tends to gravitate towards bad news.
It’s so easy for us to hear about things that are wrong in the world that it sometimes seems like nothing is going right. I’ve found that while bad news is almost always right in front of us, good things are too – we just often have to look for them so that they don’t get washed out in the glare of all of the troubles that seem to occupy so much airtime and webspace.
For me, gratitude lies in the smaller things and unexpected pleasures that fill the spaces in life.
The curve of my daughter’s neck as she bends over her book, totally absorbed in the magic of a storyworld. The beginnings of a beard on my son’s cheek that mean that I’ve had the privilege of spending more years with him than some parents get with their children. My husband getting up early and bringing coffee back to our hotel room last weekend before I got out of bed.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as the clean scent of rain in the air, a stranger holding the door for me, or a beautiful piece of music.
Need a Little Inspiration or a Few Reasons to be Thankful?
In case you’re looking for a few things to be thankful for, one of my favorite magazines, Mental Floss, has put together a quick list of news stories that will give you five reasons to give thanks.Not to be outdone by the likes of Mental Floss, Reader’s Digest gives us 10 reasons to be thankful.
Need a little inspiration on the parenting front? This post has you covered. How about 41 reasons to be thankful for your spouse? Then there’s this story that reminds us all to be thankful for our homes and communities.
As for me, right now, I’m thankful that I’m privileged to have a warm home that will be filled with family, friends, and food tomorrow. I’m also thankful that I won’t be one of the millions of people dealing with travel amid messy winter weather this year.
With that, I wish you all safe travels and a Thanksgiving filled with joy…and thanks, of course. 🙂
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