I like this time of year. It prompts me to think about what I am grateful for rather than focusing on things I don’t have and am dissatisfied with; or, even worse, take for granted.
Thanksgiving Day has always been my favorite holiday. It is a quiet, peaceful, relaxing time focused on nothing more than gratitude and breaking bread with family and friends. Other holidays are loud, frantic, crass and focused on things like buying and getting stuff, strutting around in new outfits, eating too much candy, loud fireworks, and parties where people are not themselves and drink too much–by comparison.
A close second for me is Valentines Day. Again, a time of gratitude, expressions of love, and sharing a quiet dinner and intimate time with someone close.
One of the things that impresses me most about each of the subjects in Ten Difficult Women is their ability to enjoy and be grateful for life’s quiet, subtle, beautiful elements and moments: Nature, the life of the mind, composing a perfect journal entry, leading musicians through an exquisite performance, throwing a perfect “knuckle-ball,” casting a first vote, children, conducting former slaves to freedom, producing a film or giving a speech or writing a law that leads to positive change, creating a beautiful dress, appreciating glistening raindrops and the sound of a Lark from an attic window, or playing and cuddling with a beloved pet.
These are things that are truly memorable and worth celebrating. Happy Thanksgiving!
