Thanksgiving 2020
For 19 years of my life, Thanksgiving symbolized a much needed break from school/college, some immaculate food, and time to reconvene with friends and family.
However, being amidst a pandemic this year certainly offered a new perspective on this holiday. As we are forced to retreat from large get-togethers and adapt to something small in our homes with immediate family, it made me reconsider the essence and true meaning of this holiday. It wasn’t just like any other day where I would sleep in, eat till my maximum capacity, or hang out with friends. There is more to it.
Without spiraling this blog into a boring history lesson, here are a few words to take away regarding the origin of Thanksgiving and what it symbolizes:
– “In 1621, when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God and celebrated His bounty in the Harvest Home tradition with feasting and sport (recreation).” (www.plimoth.org)
– Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.” (www.britannica.com)
In short, Thanksgiving originated as a way for Pilgrims to express gratitude and celebrate for the basic necessities life offered. For the Pilgrims, this included simplicities such as good health and having a rich food source. Perhaps, we can look towards our predecessors as a wake up call to reflect on the simplest attributes of life that we may take for granted, when it’s actually a driving force.
This Thanksgiving, I urge you to take a few moments and consider what is one thing that keeps you thriving on a daily basis. It could be as simple or as complex as you wish, but take a few moments to allow yourself to feel this state of euphoria as you reflect on what you are truly grateful for. Once you have reignited that feeling, take a few moments to connect with it and I assure you that this year will embody a blissful Thanksgiving 2020.
I, for one, always took the value of catching up with old friends and family for granted. But, this year made me reconsider how grateful I am to engage in small meaningful conversations with the amazing people in my life. Taking a few moments to pick up that phone and connect with another soul is a euphoric feeling for me that I can’t explain in words. Therefore, this Thanksgiving, I will most certainly be reconvening with my dear ones, even if it’s virtually!
I hope that this Thanksgiving you are able to take some time to dissect and analyze what is most important to you and allow yourself to submerge in gratitude as you rekindle with those feelings.
Comment below what that ONE most important thing is that you are grateful for and have a wonderful Thanksgiving 2020 🙂 – Team Happy2Thrive
