Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day! Thanks Giving Day! It seems that our focus is on the food, the feast and not so much on the giving of thanks on this day. Families (and especially the cook) plan and dream and prep and bake and steam and roast and serve gorgeous, wonderful food for us to celebrate with. In my family celebrations it is turkey, gravy with potatoes, cranberries and banana bread. Oh and don’t forget the green bean casserole, cheese, lime jello with pears, veggies, crescent rolls, bread and pie. Well and sometimes several pies with ice cream!

I heard the other day that the typical American Thanksgiving meal is 4500 calories! 4500 calories! That is almost 3 days worth of calories in one meal. Mindful eating can help us to enjoy the tasty treats without gorging ourselves. Mindfully we can choose to have small portions of the foods we truly love. We can choose to stand away from the nibbles before dinner. We can choose to have one desert, not three. AND we can choose to refocus on mindful, healthy eating once the meal is cleaned up and put away. We can remind ourselves that Thanksgiving dinner is one meal, not the beginning of a 4 week eating free-for-all until Christmas. And Black Friday does not have to be a day of mourning for your bulging belly but can be the day you return to focused mindful eating.

Thanksgiving does not have to be ALL about the food. We have family to celebrate! Be mindful of how important these people are in your life. Be kind, be generous, be loving throughout the day to the people who have been there for you always. My mother once told me, “Your family will never leave you” and in my life, she has been right. We stick together. We support, sometimes from afar, but support is always there. So for today, I will celebrate my family. I will pay close attention to their stories and jokes. I will be interested in their life’s adventures. I will be fully present with them during our celebration. I will shift my focus to my loved ones when the focus on food gets overwhelming. And I will breathe in deep the sense of gratitude I have for them in my life.

My Gratitude List for Today:

I am grateful for all the wonderful people in my life.

I am grateful for my work which gives meaning to my life.

I am grateful for the changing seasons which keep me aware that change is constant in life.

I am grateful for my physical body which continues to be resilient and strong.

I am grateful for the hundreds of people in my life who show me the way.

I am grateful for the bounty of healthy, delicious food available to me.

I am grateful for my warm and comfortable home.

I am grateful for my sweet dog Gracie who teaches me about exuberance.

I am grateful for breath, as it brings me back to the present moment.

I am grateful for each new day.

May your day be filled with family, friends, fun and frolic and oh, yea food.

JME Affirmation for the Day

I am grateful for my life – This Life. The more grateful I am, the more I experience health, wealth and prosperity. I am grateful and life is bountiful.