Thankfully
It’s the last Thursday in November and my Inbox is brimming. Many people have been frantically sending emails, putting up Facebook messages, making phone calls to say things they so rarely do. Why do we feel the need to institutionalize one day as a reminder that it is important to be thankful? Shouldn’t gratitude be an everyday occurrence? What about working towards balance and happiness before a crisis hits or making the small decisions that can impact wellbeing at every meal, with every snack?
A few years ago, a group of us spent Christmas day
feeding the homeless down on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We got to the shelter at half past five
in the morning and promptly got to work peeling potatoes, boiling rice and sautéing
onions. The regulars were quite
aloof, almost rude, and I wondered why.
Finally, around ten a.m., when we’d finished clearing up and were making
our way to leave, I asked one of the volunteer coordinators what the deal was.
“We don’t mean to be unfriendly,” she said, “it’s just that I think a lot of us wonder where all of you are the rest of the year. It’s always the same: nobody cares for 363 days, and then suddenly Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, we have to turn people like you away. If you really want to help, what about showing up on a random day in May?”
People often switch to a healthier lifestyle only after a serious health scare. We suddenly appreciate our friends, family and significant others so much more when we are faced with their loss. How often do you tell those around you that you love them?
Grateful has no itinerary. Thank you doesn’t know the difference between the last Thursday in November and a random day in May.
Let’s not pass up this wonderful opportunity to give thanks, to hug our loved ones, to send our far-flung friends an email and let them know we’re thinking of them. Let’s even try to be nice to the telemarketer who calls in the middle of dinner.
But what about tomorrow?
As a sign of my gratitude, I am offering a free forty-five minute phone consultation about six foods I am most grateful for. Curious? Email me to set it up at Gabriela@thepickyfoodie.com -- they might surprise you!
P.S. Looking for a great cookbook to give as a gift? After a wonderful meal cooked by a generous, Picky Foodie Friendly omnivore, I have chosen to focus this week’s Friday Night Dinner Blog on others: cookbooks, websites, recipes that inspire me.
P.P.S. And for those veggies and vegans out there:
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