November is such a funny month. I like to think of it as the gateway drug to Winter. Almost like a second date with Mother Nature, before she's decided if she's going to be naughty or nice. If she's going to be gentle or wicked. Here in America, it wraps up with both an official national holiday (Thanksgiving: http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving), and a sort of unofficial one (Black Friday: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1942935,00.html). Then it launches us into December and the serious business of short days and long nights begins. Folks who embrace the official Thanksgiving holiday often spend the month, and Thanksgiving Day specifically, reflecting on the things in their lives for which they are grateful. Family, friends, jobs, health, etcetera. All the things for which we should be grateful each day of the year, but which we often don't take the time to consider. Life is a busy place and if we sat around pondering all the things we should probably really be thankful for, I don't know when we'd find the time to get up and go to work. So November becomes a sort of adjunct drain catch for all the reflections that tend to slip by unacknowledged. Which is pretty great, I guess. Thirty (or 24 or 28 or whatever, depending on where it falls on the calendar) days of recollection and reflection that we often don't do until Something Bad Happens and life flashes before our eyes. Car accidents or sudden health scares or seeing a child fall from some great height do the same thing, but it's usually all in a flash, and less organized. I enjoy reading or hearing about the things folks are thankful for. It helps me learn more about my friend's or family member's current life conditions, what their priorities are. It's pretty standard stuff because I think we're all grateful for the same basic elements in our lives. Sometimes, though, someone mentions something that strikes me as unusual and it gives me an opportunity to consider that element's place (if it has one) in my own life. So in the spirit of the holiday, and in honor of working out my Gratitude Muscle, I'll share some of the things that touch my heart every month of the year.
Which is beautiful and true and a bit intimidating. But it's just how they've survived for eons. Adaptability. Reaching to an energy source. Resting when necessary but always maintaining some sort of motion. I should be so effective in my own development.
And you know, I'm thankful for all the normal person stuff. My family. My friends. The people I've lost and the ones I haven't met yet. Everyone's health and the right to vote. My job. Music. And don't forget the chocolate. I am really thankful for chocolate. Happy November, everyone. Safe travels to all. |
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