Thanksgiving

I am sitting in the kitchen working, well, actually, I am trying hard to concentrate, as my husband Tim is busy right next to me preparing and cooking for our upcoming Thanksgiving feast. Such a wonderful American tradition we have brought with us to Australia! As the sun is shining, the temperature rising and summer moving in, what you really, really feel like is roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Oh, well, it is a lovely excuse to get together with friends – we might just have to eat in our wet beach wear to keep cool.

Now I know it is cliché, done a million times, but I can’t help reflecting on this very valuable tradition that we don’t do at all here in Australia, which is really such a shame. Thanksgiving was the white man’s celebration of the first successful harvest in the New World – achieved with generous help from the indigenous population. I promise I will not get political… I’ll just go straight to the importance of feeling grateful and thanking those around us who play such an important role in the success of our daily lives.

So today I am giving thanks (a day early, but who’s counting) for so many things, but my top 3 are:

Tim’s cooking – saving me from another serving of brown rice and steamed veggies which is my signature dish.

Technology – allowing me to keep in contact with my friends and family around the world, especially in these different times when we are unable to travel and I cannot connect with them in person.

Teams – the wonderful, talented and generous people who help make practice and Switched-on Kids worth doing on both the personal and the business levels.

According to all the clever people out there advising on how to live one’s best life, the idea is to do this every day, right? However, after several attempts I have to admit that I find this (in theory) worthwhile habit a challenge. Honestly, my Gratitude Journal, rather than being uplifting and inspiring, seems a bit stale. I seem to feel grateful for the same things, day after day. Sometimes I try really hard to come up with something new and exciting, but then it seems a bit like I’m trying too hard.

Instead, I will stick to this foreign tradition of Thanksgiving, feeling grateful the whole day, while I enjoy smoked turkey drumstick, sweet potato puree, pecan pie and maybe a glass of bubbles or two.

What are you feeling grateful for today?