Thanksgiving 101

I've been sensing a lot of unhappiness out there lately, not only in the blogging world but in my own world as well. I’m in no way saying life has to always be ‘fun’ or ‘happy’; there are certainly times when we all need some time to vent our frustrations, complain about the life we’ve been delt or sit and wallow in our misfortunes. But as we know, none of that behavior seems to get us anywhere except maybe to the fridge for a beer or to the cabinet for some sweets. Every so often we are forced to face our challenges. We may need to climb that wall that was put right in front of us or as I like to say- ride out the wave, it’s all about surfing.

Last week or even last month, was a tough one for lots of people out there. For starters, my bud out there in London is struggling with life so much she has decided to cut herself off from the world. Sounds drastic I know but I think she just feels the needs to be by herself and work it out- whatever ‘it’ is. I’m sad because she is hurting so much and I hope she’s ok- I really do. On the other side of the world my friend is dealing with a health complication. Thankfully it is an illness that can be healed but it’s very hard to struggle with feeling sick; we feel less than and weak and tired- not what’s really authentically us. She’s such a strong woman and I know she will emerge from this period of her life stronger- mentally and physically than ever before, but it sucks going through it. I’m sorry she had to spend time in a hospital too; it’s so lonely and disgusting there. Elsewhere people are dealing with love or lack of it. Break-ups suck, so does dating- especially if you’re a gay woman. We try to be all tough and strong and act like we don’t really need to need. We try to make ourselves believe we don’t need anyone else to make us happy. It’s her loss or it’s his loss. I feel badly for people that don’t have someone else to love- a partner in life. When you have healthy love there is nothing better in the world and I wish that for all who desire it. Sure, the single life can be glamorous but it can also be very lonely and depressing. I’m sorry for anyone who is lonely and depressed because they have love to give and no one to give it to. There are others out there dealing with sucky relationships, the deterioration of a relationship, boring or stressful lives, unhappy kids, troubled kids, or just plain feeling miserable for whatever reason. I’m sorry to all of that and I’m sorry you have to feel it-whoever you are.

Since Thursday is Thanksgiving I thought I would dedicate the coming week to being thankful for all I have instead of talking, complaining, crying, or arguing about what I don’t. It’s hard to do this; it’s hard to switch our minds to thinking about what we like instead of what we don’t. We’re so damn programmed it’s scary. One thing I find very easy to appreciate is my parents. I get a pit in my stomach whenever I hear about people not having parents. I know in some cases they may be better off because of it or maybe ok with it for whatever reason, but since my family life was and is so tight, I can’t help but feel sorry for them. I’m sorry if you hate them, if they are ill, if they are gone, if they are mean, if they are mentally challenged, if they are weak, if they are “never there” or if they just refuse to love. I’m so thankful my parents taught me how to love, they taught by example and I soaked it up like a little sponge. I’m thankful they are both alive and healthy. I know how lucky I am and when I think about that, nothing else matters.

I hope you all can find something to be thankful for this week, even if it's as small as your laptop.