Immediately when I hear the word Thanksgiving, I capitalize it and picture a beautiful turkey, family, and most importantly pie. And I definitely do not think I am alone in this. But really, the first thought that should cross our minds when we hear the world 'thanksgiving' should be the act of giving thanks, not the event that we celebrate.
I am totally not trying to toss Thanksgiving out the window. It is most definitely my favorite holiday by a landslide. I mean, you get the benefits of family and food without the obligation of finding the perfect gift for everyone... what's not to love? But I think we have taken the word thanksgiving to only be a noun, and not a verb - it's an event, not an action.
When I think about the countless things I have to be thankful for, I get a little embarrassed when I think about the extent to which I take them for granted. The season of Thanksgiving always reminds us to be thankful, but oftentimes that lasts for a few days and then we go back to the busyness that we are so accustomed to.
When I realized all of this, it really struck me. I really do have so incredibly much to be thankful over, but I usually spend most of my thought processing time worrying about insignificant things or wishing some aspect of my life could be improved in some way. This quote really encompasses all of this:
“Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that, 'Wherever you go, there you are.'" -Richard Carlson
Being thankful and content during the short term will translate into being peaceful and happy in the long term. This really hit me, and inspired me to not sweat the small things so much. I've found myself saying "Will this matter in a week? month? A year? " a lot, and it's put a lot of things in perspective.
I made this last week and set it as my phone background to hold myself accountable to all of this! I encourage you to join me in placing this on your phone screen, your computer desktop, or anywhere that you'll see it if this post rang true for you.
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