November 2023
Can you bring more to the table this Thanksgiving?
Me in my happy place… outside + sunshine.
It’s fairly unusual for me not to know exactly what I want to write about in these blogs each month, but I think one theme that keeps coming up is TIME. How much time do we have left? In this life… in this house… in this role.. in this body… in this ______ you name it. No matter what you put in that blank, there’s a time limit to it.
It’s commonplace to think about when we will pass from this life and onto the next. However, it’s easy to push this thought to the backs of our minds since we’ve all got kids to feed, laundry to fold, phone calls to make, and work to do. The holidays are upon us and for many that means time with family, time away from work, and time to reflect. It’s also an incredibly stressful time because of everything I just mentioned. But what if this is your last Thanksgiving with someone you love? I’m certain you’d treat it differently than any other Thanksgiving from previous years.
Unfortunately, we don’t know when our last Thanksgiving will be with our loved ones. Where we do have some control is by being present and finding authentic and genuine ways to connect with the people we love. It’s no secret family can be trying. When someone says ‘Family’, it can trigger all sorts of emotions…. probably like ALL of them.
Just gotta love them through it! Am I right or what?!
Because it’s - family - you’re stuck with them, they’re stuck with you for better or worse. That’s what makes it hard and special at the same time. Relationships with people are incredibly complex. It shouldn’t be that surprising that relationships over many years can suffer scars and challenges that may never be fully explored or healed. Maybe that’s not as important as the love you DO have; maybe it's up to us to bring more to the table (pun intended), to bring more to the relationship, to bring more authenticity, to be more accepting of our loved ones’ flaws. It’s fair to say that you’re likely not the easiest, most fun, vulnerable person to be around ALL of the time. Of course not. Others can’t expect us to be perfect, but why do we expect that of the people we love? I think what I’m getting at is this: Time is finite and you never know when it’s up.
It would be easy for me to sit at my table this Thanksgiving and think of everyone who is missing. I’m going to choose something different this year. I’m going to choose to immerse in those that show up for me. I’m going to love them for everything they are and aren’t, because how boring would this life be if we were all the same? Cheers to more love and cohesiveness this Thanksgiving. I sincerely hope you and your families relish each and every moment you have together. Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.