The thing about election campaigns is a lot of negative talk and partisan hyperbole gets tossed around and if you’re not careful you’d think the end of the world was imminent if not for a certain result come Oct. 19.
Right.
That’s why it’s ironic a holiday such as Thanksgiving takes centre stage just one week before Canadians head to the polls.
Thanksgiving?
Gratitude?
Come again?
I’ve written before that this holiday that asks us to take a second to be grateful for all the blessings we have in this world, and particularly this nation, seems out of whack with a hyper-fast, consumer-based society that is always looking for the next big thing as today’s big thing becomes yesterday’s news faster than you can say the Internet.
Ahem.
Reflection and pausing to take a look around at the majesty that is nature at this time of year appears to be at odds with keeping up with what’s coming down the pipe as our lives whiz by so fast some of us are looking to punch the pause button because it sure feels like the fast-forward button has been on ‘stuck’ for, well, far too long now.
But maybe I’m just getting old.
I’ve always been a bit of a slowpoke in life so this nano-second, high-tech, everything-in-the-palm-of-your-hands-even-if-you-don’t-want-it, connected way we live our lives now has always left my head spinning just a little bit.
So take it all with a grain of salt (actually I think that’s bad for you), or a spoonful of sugar (that might be worse), or a shot of vodka (if you’re of age of course)…….
…….I saw a billboard for a church the other day that struck me as appropriate, and timely for Thanksgiving.
I can’t remember it exactly, as I don’t take notes while I’m driving of course, and like I said I’m old so my memory ain’t what it used to be, but it said something like: “If you’re having trouble sleeping, try counting your blessings.”
Perfect.
Forget the sheep, unless that’s one of your blessings of course, but our minds tend to worry about the challenges of the next day or fester about the missteps of the day previous just when we’ve finally laid our head to rest for the day and need our sleep, dammit.
When I was much, much younger and I couldn’t sleep I would get up and try writing something creative in a sort-of journal. I even had a naive theory back then that I could write more creatively then because while everybody else was asleep there were more ideas floating around in space (cause everybody knows that’s how it works with ideas) and with less people actually awake and alive to the possibilities (at least in my part of the world) there was a greater chance of one floating down and landing in my dull brain.
Like I said I was young.
And it was the middle of the night when everything seems a little surreal so you come up with ideas that seem cool at the time but in the light of day, maybe not so much…..
……anyway the point of this musing is that we do have reason to be grateful in these modern times.
I know there are challenges locally, provincially, nationally, internationally and, of course, personally as well, so I’m not trying to be pumpkin-pie-in-the-sky here.
But I do believe life is somewhat better and easier and richer if we at least try to live with some form of gratitude in our hearts.
And living in the now, not fretting about yesterday and continually worrying about tomorrow, is also a good idea because that’s all we can truly control. Of course achieving that frame of mind is likely life’s biggest challenge and rising to the task of doing something right now and not putting it off is certainly one of my biggest personal challenges.
But for today, enjoy. Be thankful. I’m pretty sure you’ll be glad you did.
