On Being Thankful

"When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?"
George Canning

Just some of the people I'm thankful for.   

I will admit, I love Thanksgiving.  I love the family and friends, the warmth of the home and the chill in the air, the sense of return and re-connection, and of course, I love the food.  But I will also admit, I sometimes feel like this sense of gratitude this time of year is forced and thrust upon us in a holier-than-thou sort of fashion.  People are consumed with the thought of being thankful and proving their selflessness to others.

I am quite aware that sometimes it takes a holiday or event to bring the innate goodness of people to the surface, but it still leaves an artificial flavor lingering in my mouth.  Mostly because of the obscene public displays of so called gratitude, such as declarations on Facebook.  It cheapens the sentiment as there is this pressure to show your virtue to all of the brief contact acquaintances you have acquired.  Sure, you can tag your mom in an affectionate status, but why not show her your gratitude and love through actions?  And if you were planning on doing both, why did you feel the need to splash that on Facebook as well?  Did it make you a better person?

Being thankful should not be a slot on the calendar, it should be a daily reminder.  Life, and all of its eccentricities and intricacies, is this miraculous, perfectly tarnished, and impossible event that we have had the honor to experience, though only for a short while.  Cliche, cliche, cliche...I know, but that doesn't make it any less true.  Humans need to work on weaving gratitude into their daily lives, not just after a slab of turkey and a few glasses of wine.