The Attitude of Gratitude
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If we can freeze moments in time, we can cherish them even as the memories around those moments blur. As we’ve rounded the corner into the holiday season, the concept of lasting memories has become a front and center topic.
Thanksgiving this year was hard. I didn’t expect it to be. Maybe I wasn’t completely sure what to expect entirely. I was coming out of my 7th round of chemotherapy and I felt like crap. Maybe it was because it’s officially cold and flu season and I live with two small petri dishes; maybe it was because it was my 7th round of dumping poison into my body. Maybe it was because I kept trying to tell myself that Thanksgiving is just another day.
In many respects, it is. It is an American holiday that we observe as a time to pause and give thanks. We can argue the politics behind the legitimacy of the holiday but I won’t go there today. I did find myself angry, and frustrated. Why did the world require a day off from work to eat a turkey and tell the people you love that you are thankful for them? Why aren’t we doing this every day? What are we only doing this 1 out of every 365 days?
I found my resentment and anger growing throughout the week about how everyone else approached Thanksgiving. It seemed so weird to me to be concerned with everyone else. Who CARES what other people do? Who cares who has a traditional Thanksgiving and uses it to actually give thanks?
With my scan around the corner, I found myself giving thanks every day. Maybe it was out of fear that I am running out of time to tell my boys I love them. Maybe it was because I’ve taken a front row seat to my own mortality. And that changes how you look at the world. It changes everything.
Don’t get me wrong- we had a great week off the kids and escaped to the desert warmth for a few days. We had a quiet dinner with family. But I don’t want to wait another year to give thanks to the people that matter. To the moments that matter. So from where I sit, if I can offer one piece of advice. Don’t wait until next year. Don’t wait to do the things that matter. To say thank you. To tell people you love them. There is nothing wrong with saying it now. And the best part is it may bring a little sunshine to someone’s day that really needs it.
