Covid may be inconvenient but we still have a great deal to be thankful for

Next week is Thanksgiving – a time to be grateful for the countless blessings we so often overlook throughout the preceding months. Yes, covid may be inconvenient, but I guarantee that this year – perhaps even more than any other year – we still have a great deal to be thankful for.

I use the word “inconvenient” because far too many people in the United States still choose to look at this pandemic without concern, compassion or empathy.

We’re angry that the normalcy we’ve come to expect without fail – like a cherished friend or an old, loyal dog – has been so drastically disrupted. We almost don’t know how to survive with the balance in our lives so completely altered. When that happens, the anger intensifies rather than learning to adjust.

Slowly but surely, we channel that anger into blame. We blame schools and teachers for why our children have to learn remotely.

We blame politicians for trying to contain a deadly virus while infringing upon our constitutional rights.

We blame doctors and scientists for sharing their extensive knowledge and protocols instead of just letting the disease run its course so we can get on with our lives.

Yes, covid may be inconvenient, and I certainly can agree with the disruption to my normalcy.

It’s changed our social interactions – even the very way we’ll all celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and friends in 2020.

But it’s important to remember that it hasn’t changed everything in life.

Maybe it’s time to remember how we’ve allowed our lives to get far too complicated while becoming highly inflexible to the reality that change is inevitable. Maybe we’ve even forgotten what it means to live simply, humbly, gratefully.

Yes, covid may be inconvenient. But here are some things which still haven’t changed, which still provide our lives with a reason to be thankful.

• Waking up in the morning and knowing you are loved
• Having meaningful and memorable conversations
• Taking a walk under a sunny blue sky or a starry night listening to nature
• Doing something kind for a friend, or better yet, a stranger
• Listening to music and singing along – maybe even dancing
• Cooking a wonderful meal with someone special then enjoying it
• Eating a bowl of popcorn while watching an old movie or playing a board game
• Looking at old pictures or videos and reliving the moment

While some of you might think the list above sounds trite and maybe even boring, I have one more thing for you to remember. All of those things (and many more) mean you’re still alive to see another day with those you cherish and THAT alone is worth being thankful for.

The older I get the more I realize that it’s not the grand moments in life which come to mean the most. It’s the simple, ordinary days which provide our lives with the greatest gifts of all – companionship, love, support, laughter, joy.

Remember, everything is temporary – both good and bad – so revel in all that you still have and all that you still can do.

Happy Thanksgiving!