Like it or not, Thanksgiving is here, kicking off what I (lovingly) call the Holiday Trifecta: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Maybe you’re eagerly looking forward to sharing the traditional turkey plus fixings with your sons and daughters returning from college or loved ones who served overseas in the armed forces. Perhaps you are counting the minutes until you can welcome beloved family members back into your nest.
But this year I’m not feeling too festive.
I’m trying (oh, how I’m trying!) to get over feeling sad about missing family members and find gratitude for all the positives in my life instead. In my current anti-Hallmark mood, it wasn’t easy to make a list of what I’m thankful for, but I thought maybe it would help me (and possibly others who are depressed or ambivalent) feel better. So here goes…
- Not being a refugee
- Being a U.S. citizen
- Living as a western woman
- Never having to wear a burka
- A good education
- Not being shot for going to school
- Marrying the man I chose
- Good health and access to some of the world’s best doctors when I’m under the weather.
- Not being alone
- Having a small family
- Not traveling during the holidays
- Having close friends
- No drilling—for the moment—on Second Avenue
- The publication of my book, My Picture Perfect Family
- Warmer than usual weather for November
- A few new sweaters to keep me toasty—and fashionable—when the temperature drops
- Not being in any of the wrong places at the wrong times.
- New York City
- I got to see Hamilton on Broadway (every bit as brilliant and ground-breaking as the rave reviews claimed)
- Seeing my son’s movie, Being Charlie, at the Toronto Film Festival
- The successful crowdfunding campaign and shooting of my daughter’s film, Keep the Change
- The joy on my daughter’s face whenever she sings
- The time and space to write WHATEVER I want
- An extra room in my nest
- Not being a turkey
OK, so this Mother Hen not jumping for joy yet. But I do feel a little better (and amused even). If you’re feeling less enthusiastic about the holiday season than you might wish, I recommend making your own gratitude list, or even adding to mine. Thanksgiving will never be my favorite holiday, but taking a moment to appreciate what I have (instead of feeling depressed about what –or who—is missing) has lifted my spirits, at least temporarily.
—
Originally appeared on Marguerite Elisofon.
Photo by Pixabay.