Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving, Turkey Day, and we are all made to think about what we are thankful for. This year, unfortunately, I am having a hard time thinking of much to be thankful for. Two major events have overshadowed the good in my life: the drowning of my grandmother in June and the death of my mother in July. Now, I was not very close to my grandmother, but the traumatic nature of her death really struck me, and the fact that it has affected my father so much has made it even worse. And, of course, anyone who has read any of my writings on here know by now that I was very close to my mother and that her death has affected me deeply.

Then we have the state of the world outside of my family. It seems that every day, the world around me is getting darker, especially regarding politics, but I will not get started with that.

But does that mean that I have nothing to be thankful for?

No.

In fact, when I stop to think about it, I have a lot to be thankful for, even if it feels as though it is overshadowed by the bad things that have happened this year. I still have my father, even if he is still struggling because of the loss of my grandmother and especially because of the loss of my mother. I have my brothers, even if I’m mad at one of them. I have a roof over my head, even if I share it with my father. I have my dogs to keep me company, no matter how clingy and annoying they can be (I would not have them any other way). I have a decent day job with understanding and supportive coworkers and bosses. My finances are getting stronger. I have my health, even if finding a primary care physician around here is like finding a needle in a haystack. I still have the memories of my mother that I can revisit, even though I can no longer be with her. And I can still pursue my writing, no matter what else happens in my life.

I could go on and on about what I have to be thankful for, especially the little things. I might not be a millionaire, and I certainly do not have the most blessed life, but I do know that I have to be grateful for. Just because I have had some tragedy in my life this year does not mean that I am going to take the good parts of my life for granted. Rather, I am going to be more grateful for them and be glad that I have them every day.

Life is not always easy. There is always going to be something that will throw a wrench in our plans or make life more difficult for us. Tragedy strikes. Accidents happen. Deaths occur. But that does not mean that we lose everything that we have to be thankful for. We just need to look a little harder for them.

Do not get me wrong; there will definitely be times when you feel as though everything good has been extinguished. That is when it will be harder to find things to be thankful for, but for your own mental health, you must keep looking. If you do not find those little things that make you feel grateful to be alive, then you might not appreciate being alive, and this will take you down a spiraling path to nowhere good. It can be hard, but take a moment today to find something to be thankful for. You’ll be glad that you did.