2020 has hit us wave after wave: the pandemic, forest fires, riots in the street, and election upheaval, just to start. If you’re not struggling personally, you are likely caring for someone who is. What does all this mean for Thanksgiving? For some, fewer people around your table. For others, the difficult decision not to travel to see family. While it’s only natural to be pessimistic, we believe this Thanksgiving does not have to be another entry in our 2020 calendar of disappointments. May we suggest the following practices to help cultivate thankfulness and make this our most thankful year ever.
Make a List
When we experience adversity, it’s natural to let the challenges dominate our view. What can we do to shift our perspective? As Eric Coffer says,
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.
It’s simple but sometimes hard to count your blessings. If that’s you, get a jumpstart from someone’s else ideas.
It’s amazing how listing our blessings can change our perspective. It won’t take away our financial losses or cure our health challenges, but it may provide new appreciation for simple things like clean running water or sunshine. Some people have a tradition of making a “thankful pumpkin,” It makes a great centerpiece for the thanksgiving table.
Whether you write it on a pumpkin, jot it in a journal, or list it on a napkin, the process of reflection alone cultivates a gratefulness. As Naomi Williams says,
It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.
Thank Someone
Remember the caterpillar who ate all the food and was “STILL HUNGRY”? He didn’t understand why he was so hungry or the amazing way he was about to be transformed. If you haven’t seen it, Eric Carle has written a follow up to this classic children’s book, titled “Thanks from the Very Hungry Caterpillar.” It celebrates all that makes us most grateful. The story shows a beautiful way to tell someone how much you appreciate them. You can watch a video of the story being read here.
Expressing appreciation of someone increases our own gratitude and encourages someone else at the same time. If you want to know how to be thankful, this is a great place to start.
The best kind of giving is thanksgiving. -GK Chesterton
Enjoy the Moment
Our final suggestion for cultivating gratitude is to enjoy the moment. One of the ways you can do that is through planning special and creative elements in your holiday celebration. One of our favorite creative elements are these kid-friendly appetizers. No surprise, right, for people in the bug business?
Not only are they adorable, but they are healthy, which we know contributes to our sense of well-being in the long-term as well. You can find the recipe here.
A Word of Thanks From Us
To conclude, we’d like to take a bit of our own advice and share a few of the things we are grateful for:
- Family
- Freedom
- Faith
- YOU
At Conquistador Pest & Termite, we are grateful for many things, but YOU, our clients, are on our short list! We treasure the opportunity to serve you and make your home free of bugs (except for the cute vegetable ones of course). We value your friendship and the opportunity to do business with you. Because of you, our Thanksgiving is thankful, and we hope that yours is too.
