Give the thanks!

Forgive me if I take this time to share a personal story.

Thanksgiving break was not part of my education. Growing up, I heard about Thanksgiving through movies, books, and the news, but I only got to experience this holiday when I was already 25 years old. And you know, you can read, you can watch it on TV, you can hear other people say, but nothing is more relevant than actually experiencing something. During my early years here in this country, it was interesting and poignant for me to think that Americans had set aside an entire day, and practically an entire weekend, to stop their crazy, hectic lives to say thank you.

Away from my blood family, over the years I have built my own American family with the people who have become so dear to me. And one of our sweetest traditions has always been our Thanksgiving. Every year we meet at each other’s houses, each one brings their special dish, we decorate our table, we bring out our best cutlery and most importantly we enjoy each other’s company. At dinner time, we sit around the table and say thank you. But this is not just a simple sentence or a simple “I have to” sentence. We spend almost the entire time that we are eating, between an endless amount of jokes and jokes, telling the stories that made our year happy. We count the important moments, the achievements, the struggles. We go around the table and everyone gets a chance to speak and truly say thank you. It becomes a kind of inventory of our year, of our lives and we do it facing each other. Brag, be humble, cry, laugh, be proud of each other, be thankful. And the most amazing thing is that no matter what wonderful achievement we have achieved during the year, our sincerest thanks go to each other and the fact that everyone sitting at that table is part and witness of our lives.

I share this story with you, because I want you to think about giving thanks. When Thanksgiving comes around, when you’re with your friends and family, take the opportunity to really say Thank You! Look around you, look at your life today, look at who you are, look at the people who are present in your life, even if they are only a few and as imperfect as they are. Say thanks! Really! You will see how transformative this thought can be.

And when you say it at Thanksgiving, see if you can bring it into your life every day. When things don’t go the way you’d like them to, say thank you! When work is stressful, say thank you! When your partner complains, say thank you! When the phone doesn’t ring, say thank you! He truly appreciates your journey and all that it brings you. It may sound contrived and even ridiculous at the moment (how can I say thank you even in the midst of pain?), but when you understand that you are now exactly where you’re supposed to be, that every experience is presented to you. a specific purpose, there is nothing more to say, but thank you.