Will we be more thankful than annoyed this day?

Will we see one another through a lens of love and connection more than division and derision?

How will we show up with what we share, more than with our differences?

How will we contribute to a pleasant gathering for our loved ones, rather than one to be dreaded?

I feel similarly about Thanksgiving today to what I wrote in 2016. Wow, that was a lifetime ago. Things feel worse in so many ways now, which I would not have thought possible then.

Still, gratitude holds me up every day. I also still resent a socially designated day for professed thanksgiving, with conventions of gathering that are so famous for their discord that people resort to dark humor to cope. The dissonance is deafening. If you’re looking for advice on how to behave, it’s everywhere; try here, here, and here.

Okay, time to manage my cynicism now. I commit to showing up joyful for all that I have, all the people who make my life full and rich, for those who teach me through challange, and for healthy body, mind, spirit, and tribe. I will strive to emit light rather than darkness. Today is as good a day to practice as any.