Being Thankful for These Thoughts

I’ve had blasé days when Thanksgiving was yet another event to experience for a moment and then scratch off the planner. You find yourself giving “thanks” right before you gobble up the massive spread on the dining table. Maybe that turkey was thankful for the finale… maybe I used to be a turkey. Instead of reveling in the little moments that make up life, I was sticking my neck out to guess my finale. These days are different. There is much more of a change in regards to what my thoughts used to be composed of.

If I want to live like a domesticated bird that can’t fly, then I should let my fears contain me. But these wings have the yearning to take off and explore what this bountiful earth can show me. Here is what I am thankful for now:

THANKS… for a brain that can relax at the sight of the sky. Whenever the horizon looks cluttered with traffic, negativity, and ugliness… the sky is large enough to swallow up my eyes and there is nothing but endless possibilities.

THANKS… for a heart that can keep mending no matter how hard it breaks. It seems that it finds ways to heal as long as I learn that nothing is permanent. There are also angels and loved ones that will help you get better when you are not capable of it yourself.

THANKS… for ears that still hears the music that moves me. Music is in the laughter of my children, the sounds of caring voices that I can call at any moment, and songs that speak for me when I am unable to express my feelings.

THANKS… for a voice that sings for the sake of crying out loud. Sometimes you can’t hold it all in and your voice is a useful tool to tell your story, to comfort someone else, to sing your pain away, to scream out your biggest disappointments, and to explain your wants and desires.

THANKS… for a body that can dance through the rain. Even if the ground slides underneath you, there is a movement coming from your soul that can keep you moving towards solidarity. When I’m moving, everything else stands still and I can release any stagnant energy and shed poisonous stress that pile on me.

THANKS… for arms that hold on day after day. While there are things to carry like books I still have yet to read, maps of places I’ve never been to, and hats I haven’t yet tried on, there shouldn’t be room for burdens that don’t deserve to be embraced.

And THANKS… for a skin that can accept and change. You are part of a world that creates dust from what is dead and past. You are never the same from one moment to the next because the physical cells of yourself are constantly being left behind. Your skin feeds off the environment. Take care of it and shelter it from too much heat, keep it hydrated, don’t cut it open, and invite softness and warmth to caress it whenever possible. If microscopic aspects of yourself constantly change, eventually you will see a different reflection of yourself. It’s up to you to be thankful for this moment. This moment you are everything. Everything you need.