thanks or giving?

In a world full of local and global turmoil, recurring, depressing newscasts often outshine the tiny gems sparkling about: a neighborhood coats-for-kids drive at the grocery store down the street, a funny YouTube video starring a cat that just won't leave a police officer alone while he tries to write up a ticket. These clips are often seen at the end of a news broadcast, why? They're the little reminders at the end of each news show which tells us how they want us to be remembered, perhaps. Or at least they want you to feel a little picked up after dwelling in the stories surrounding our country's failing economy or scheming politicians. This is what I, and many others, wake up to each morning. I live quite routinely (certainly in the a.m.): I get up at the first indication of my alarm (nope! no snoozer here!), I brush and shower and comb my hair. After getting dressed I head to the kitchen for my much needed breakfast and glass of juice or milk, and then I sit down on the living room couch and turn on the television.


There are many other things one can watch in the morning besides the news, but personally I find the news to be much more gratifying. If it does for me one thing, it catches me up on the previous day's antics I may have missed. I try to check in on CNN's website throughout the day to peek and any eyecatching headlines, and rarely do I watch the evening broadcast. So, I find the morning is an entirely different kind of news show. It tends to indicate the start of my day, and I find that the chatty banter preliminarily wakes me up more than a shower alone. It gets me thinking. Surely, in markets like Philadelphia, to which I live closely, there are constant local shootings and criminal acts that eat up a chunk of airtime, but overall the morning crew is bubbly and willing to crack jokes at one another, because it's their morning, too. They've got to pull livelihood from somewhere, and a cup-a-joe doesn't equal positivity, it just intensifies whatever emotion you are feeling since you're more alert.


So, today's news marked the beginning of Turkey Week, and, appropiately there were some tidbits on Thanksgiving traditions and myths from over the years. The meteorologists seemed as if they just wanted to point out the up and coming grey skies that thicken around this time of year, but the vast sentiment around the newstation was rooted in peace. And those warm sentiments linger this week into that infamous fourth Thursday of November, this coming Thursday, and really kick off the Holiday Season. We give grace to our families who take us in, and we thank ourselves for getting through another chaotic year. Thanksgiving does just as it implies, it levels out the receiving and giving sides of a scale, and whether you have more to give this year, or more for which to be thankful, this day is for all of us. We have all made it through.


Can I just say: I wish to give more of myself in the coming year, whether it be physical volunteer time to others, or more availability to have phone dates with family and friends. I am so thankful for those who believe in me, and as the holiday spirit approaches, I feel their love and faith even more. I wish to give myself time aside each week for me-time. A bath, a book, a walk, I want to give myself the Carly I deserve. I am so thankful for the man who stands beside me, understanding that some solidarity does not equate loneliness, it is reconnection. I want to give back to the Earth that feeds me. Next summer I would like to be a part of a community garden, since I am without personal lot to seed, and that way I will feel even more connected to the ground which supports me every day. I am so thankful for Nature around me. Longer nights may mean shorter days, but it gives that much more appreciation and concentration of the available Vitamin D. I wish to give you all a gift, and that is a moment in which to thank yourselves. Thank someone or something in your life that has helped you - in the past day or in the past year, and set an intention to actively thank them. It may be your own body that has undergone some serious changes. It may be your colleague who makes your laugh when you're not as motivated to work today. It may be your dog who greets you every morning thinking the exact same thing, "I love you! My favorite person is awake!" All of these things are to be thanked, and please take this moment, this gift of time to do so.


Thankfulness is not a grand gesture, but its power is truly great.
Namaste, and be well.