Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States. I love Thanksgiving! It is the one holiday that hasn’t been overly commercialized yet. It is simply a time to get together with family and friends, a well-loved pet, or contemplatively with oneself, and give thanks for our blessings, however great or small they may seem to others.
For many of us it may be a little harder to find those blessings this year. 2020 has not been a banner year for many people. In California we have just gone back into the “purple tier” in the COVID rating scale. This means that many things that had begun to open, are now closing again. We’ve been strongly advised not to travel, and not to be in gatherings of more than one household. In other words, stay in your own bubble even when that bubble does not include adult children, grandchildren, parents, and close friends. Those kinds of gatherings ARE Thanksgiving for many of us.
Sadly, many people have lost loved ones, and weren’t even able to be at their bedside to hold a hand and offer last words of love. Many others have lost homes, livelihoods, and whole communities to devastating wildfires and disastrous storms and flooding.
The list goes on. . .and on.
And yet, in the midst of all this, what, as an older woman, can you honestly look at and be grateful for? A life well-lived so far?
What Are You Grateful For
For me, I am grateful for really good friends, some of whom I’ve known for years and years, and some more recent gifts. I’m grateful for my family upon whom I know I can depend if need be. I’m grateful for my ability to continue doing work that I love. And I’m grateful for my precious, talkative cat, Mr. Bu.
As the years pass, are there a few more aches and pains? Sure, but at least I still have a body to house them! I don’t see as well as I used to and I don’t hear as well as I used to, but I’m fortunate enough to be able to “augment” both of those senses so they serve me very well.
I still wake up every morning and look out the window with Mr. Bu and comment “Oh Bu, we’re so lucky!” And then I go to the kitchen and dance to the wonderful song “I’m Happy,” even if on any particular morning that seems to be a bit of a stretch.
And in the midst of difficult times, there still is love, kindness, and compassion in the world. We still know how to take care of one another, we still recognize that we are guardians of the earth, and we still know how to look up and say to everyone we meet “Happy Thanksgiving!”
Dr. Sara Hart is a lifelong advocate for social change and an inspirational, motivating speaker. She is passionate about Prime Spark, an idea that became a movement to change the way our culture sees and treats senior women. As a speaker, she provides controversial, cutting-edge ideas in an interactive setting. Sara founded Hartcom, a consulting company, over 20 years ago, focusing on leadership development, coaching, and team building. She also coaches women who know things need to be different in our society and who value the support of a coach and a like-minded community. Schedule a time to talk to Sara about coaching with her to take charge of your life.
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