Today, most Americans will take at least a moment to consider the things in their lives they are grateful for, be it cherished people, good health or relative wealth. Then they will bless their bodies with an absurd amount of calories to reinforce the idea that they live with plenty.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American holidays, partly because it is not burdened with the exclusivity of religious trappings and can be celebrated by most everybody, but also because the art of giving thanks is one of the most mood enhancing brain behaviors. In fact, the act of counting one’s blessings is an anti-depression technique used in most every kind of psycho-therapy and spiritual counseling sessions. It is a way to reframe our losses and our sorrows and put things into perspective.
I think the hardest thing about being a human, that is, a compassionate human, is the daily integration of pleasure and pain into our psyche. From tragic news stories to troubles in our own families, sadness and loss will always be there. The things that must balance those painful experiences, if we are not to be swept into the abyss of clinical depression, are the positive feelings of gratefulness, pride, and pleasure. One of the most active ways that humans have learned to trigger these good feelings are through works of altruism. We all carry a kind of cellular empathy that, when sprung into action, creates goodness on both sides of the giving fence. Those of you who helped feed people in our nation’s overpopulated homeless shelters yesterday know what I’m talking about. Let us wish that all Americans can give themselves the gift of selfless sharing on a regular basis.
There will always be loss. We live in a circle of life where there will always be death, even if it is the death of the sweet turkey whose sacrificed body lies in brine in my kitchen as I right this. Yes, I too, just noticed that I made a Freudian slip by typing “right this” rather than “write this.” Perhaps that’s what Thanksgiving is after all. A perfect attempt to “right” this mess of life. A time to remember those less fortunate and a time to honor the things we have done right. Go ahead. Gorge yourself at the table. You’ve taken the hand you were dealt and played it deftly. Now it is time to give thanks to the dealer to feel even better.
Tags: Thanksgiving