The Thanksgiving season is upon us and with it, lots and lots of wishes for gratitude and things that we are grateful for. If I think about the categories that my gratitudes often fall into it would be things like relationships and resources.
My relationships — certainly the people that I have as family, friends, co-workers, and colleagues — all the special people in my world that I get to love and live and play with.
And then certainly resources. I’m super grateful for the abundance, the provision that allows for not just roofs over my head, but places to go. I’m grateful for health and resources that allow me to go and do the things that I want to do in this world.
What About the Opposite of Gratitude?
When I think about the opposite side of gratitude, oftentimes, I think about loss, and I just want to go into this season recognizing that there are losses for many of us. It can be a big loss like the loss of a loved one, perhaps the loss of a job or a relationship. It can be more subtle things that we might lose as well. Things like autonomy or choice around where we want to be or where we want to live or where we want to work. There can be a loss of a sense of confidence or a loss of some piece of our reputation or identity that might be shifting.
The Power of Intention to Help Us Navigate Loss
Whatever it is, regardless of the loss, one thing that we can never lose is the intention with which we want to navigate those circumstances. Victor Frankel said it beautifully when he talked about how everything can be taken away from us, except that one last human dignity and freedom — and that is the ability to choose the intention or the choice or the attitude that we want to have around those circumstances.
My Wish for You This Thanksgiving Season
So my wish for you this season, regardless of what you’re navigating, is that you would be grateful for the intentions that you can set as you walk through not just this season, but the months ahead in the holidays, as well as the year ahead and all that it offers. My very best wishes to you for a rich, full, grateful, and intentional Thanksgiving season.
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