We can always find something to complain about. It's
easy. We can complain about gas and grocery prices, politics, the weather, someone who took up two parking spots instead of one, a person who hasn't removed clothes from the washer even though the cycle completed 30 minutes ago, bad customer service, telemarketers, junk mail, traffic, computer issues, WIFI problems, and more.
There is no shortage of what we can be frustrated about. Grievances will most certainly be shared at many Thanksgiving tables this year. It's part of the typical dinner-table conversation. Hopefully most of it is peaceful banter and doesn't cause too much indigestion during this holiday.
Aim however, to also talk about gratitude, because despite all the grievances, there is always so much to be thankful for.
Gas prices are high, and like many folks, I'm not happy at all about it. But I am grateful that I have a vehicle to put fuel in and
that I could get to the places I need to go.
Grocery prices are up, but my family still has food to eat.
Politics are insane as usual, no matter what party we're siding with. But we still have the right to vote and freedom of speech.
The weather may be cold, but we have coats to wear and heat in our homes; or warm, but we have fans and air
conditioning.
It may be raining, but we have fresh fruit and veggies to eat, flowers to enjoy, and the rain may also be a source of much-needed downtime in our lives.
Someone took up two parking spots? Annoying, but certainly not the end of the world. Besides, let's focus on all the people who only took up one spot and be grateful for them.
The person who didn't remove the clothes from the washer at the laundromat? We could give the person the benefit of the doubt...perhaps he or she got distracted. Or, we could just remove the clothes for them...and put them on top of the washer...so we can get our clothes inside.
Bad customer service? Businesses are short-handed these days when it comes to staff, so that may have something to do with the poor service you received. People are on edge these days. Not that that excuses poor service, but be grateful for all the amazing customer service out there.
Telemarketers? We have the means to get ourselves on "do not call" lists for most business solicitations. Personally, I appreciate those services that help us do that. And we can still be grateful that we have a cell phone (and maybe a landline too) to communicate with people we do want to communicate with when needed.
Junk mail? There are definitely things we can do to ease the volume...and we can be grateful for the fun things we sometimes get in the mail...a gift, a magazine, a greeting card. Bills are no fun, of course, but we can be grateful for the services (phone, electricity, cable, etc.) that we're paying for.
Traffic? In my younger days, I commuted between New York and New Jersey for over 10 years, so I definitely know how frustrating traffic could be...but we can still find gratefulness in the fact that we have roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. to get us where we need to go.
Computer issues? We all deal with them now and then. We can find gratitude that someone out there knows how to fix it and get us back up and running.
WIFI issues? It's going to happen now and again. But most of the time, we can be grateful that we can access to WIFI somewhere fairly close...a library, a restaurant, the gym, etc.
Again, I'm sure there will be grievances shared at the Thanksgiving
table. That's just part of typical conversation. It's also a way to blow off some steam. We don't want to hold all of that inside all the time. It's certainly not healthy to never express what we're feeling.
But on this Thanksgiving Day, top each grievance off with a little bit of gratitude. It
will remind us that even though we all have frustrations in our lives, we can't allow them to overshadow all of our blessings.
P.S. I hope you, and your loved ones far and near, have a peaceful, joyful Turkey Day. I am so grateful to you as a GON reader and a friend. I feel
more than blessed that you're allowing me into your inbox and your life every day of the year. Know that you are a true blessing to me and I am beyond thankful for all of the love and support. Happy, happy Thanksgiving!
