It’s that time of the year again! Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years. The trifecta of holidays. It’s really a time to look forward to. Where family and friends can get together and celebrate.
Of course, this year will be a little different in celebration - with the coronavirus pandemic still raging across the USA uncontrollably.
But, it’s a time to look forward to. To cherish. Especially this year. Sometimes, times of distress make us greater appreciate everything that we already have.
And what exactly is it that I have? Oh, I have quite a lot. A warm roof over my head. Even food on the table to not starve. Air in my lungs. Family and friends by my side. It’s definitely cause for muted celebration.
This time of the year is the season of giving. A time to provide and give happiness to others. A time to give to the needy and the hungry. It is a time to be grateful and also a time to give back to the community.
It’s something to look forward to. I remember back in the good old days, I would always want to have someone to hold by my side. Someone to share and bask in the year-end celebrations. And thankfully, today I have that person.
And I have more than that. My mom and dad are still by my side. My friends are still alive and well. And I am thankfully relatively healthy. And - knock on wood - none of us have caught the coronavirus as of this writing.
It’s a cause for celebration. Just to realize that things can be taken away so easily. It’s important to cherish the mundane. The day-to-day ordinary way of life.
We don’t necessarily need the holiday season to rile us up into giving and gratitude. We can be grateful right this instant. At a moment’s notice. Without the need for a holiday to make us remember.
We just need to cherish it all. Take a deep breath. And soak it all in. We are all living the dream. We are living the life. There is nothing much that hasn’t been done. We are all living in a time of peace and prosperity.
Despite all the tragedies and anxieties that we see in the news, we are living in a peaceful time. I, for one, am grateful that I live in the United States of America. For all its kinks and flaws, it is still one of the most prosperous, and safest nations to be in. And I hope that I can spend more time giving back to the community that has raised me up into the man I am today.
I look forward to the Christmas trees and the New Year’s celebration coming up through the end of the year. The cards and get-togethers may be less this year, but they will still be with us in spirit.
Even if these days have been more technologically oriented than face-to-face oriented, it’s still a pleasure to interact with my fellow Toastmasters on Zoom on a gradual basis.
I thank the leaders of our District whom are taking their time to volunteer for a greater cause and help its members improve their communication and leadership skills - in a positive and supportive environment.
I am thankful for my parents for spending time with me and taking care of me. I am thankful for my girlfriend for being there by my side. I am thankful for my friends and other family members - whom make my life that much more colorful.
I am thankful for a lot. The list goes on. And it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving in order to appreciate the exciting and the mundane. We can do that at a moment’s notice. At any time, and anywhere.
So, this season of giving is generally very sentimental for me. I remember back when I was in high school, I’d try so hard to fill the void by hanging out with friends. It was fun, but at the same time, I was trying to make the holiday into something that it is not.
I was trying to chase a feeling of togetherness, rather than simply being grateful for everything that I already have. I guess that’s fairly important in this day and age. When the news is quick to tell us what is wrong in the world, we need to harvest a safe space within ourselves where we can just be grateful of those around us.
The world is not as terrifying as it seems. There are lots of beauties and happiness that goes along with it. It’s just up to us to experience it. This season of giving is yet another opportunity for us to be together, to be grateful, and to feel at ease with where we all are in this beautiful world.
Coronavirus or not. We have a lot to be grateful for. And this season is the perfect time to start harnessing the power of gratitude for total well-being.