Thanksgiving Challenge: Don’t shop, say thanks.
I recently stumbled upon this — written during my senior year in college, but still a good reminder.
Many retailers are opening on Thanksgiving Day to get a jump on “Black Friday.” That spurred a backlash on Facebook, with people posting vows to stay home with their families on Turkey Day.
But there’s one point getting lost in the debate. It’s not just a matter of family time or shopping. Instead of spending the day focused on what we want to acquire, we need to keep just one day dedicated to focusing on what we already have. That’s the original idea of Thanksgiving — a day set aside to give thanks and be grateful.
It’s so easy to forget about this, as an experience I had last week reminded me.
Like everybody else, I like to complain — about having too much homework, about how it’s too cold outside, about losing yet another fracket or finding a date for formals. And last Sunday, I spent much of the day stressing about all the work I had to do. But that afternoon, I went to the funeral of Wei Ge, my economics professor who passed away suddenly.
That shook me up. It reminded me that life is short. How often do we live each day as if it could be our last? I should be grateful for each day I wake up, alive, healthy and lucky enough to attending a good school like Bucknell.
We don’t feel grateful because we are never thankful for things we assume we are entitled to, like food, clothes and education. Maybe we’ll thank someone for a fancy meal or a gift of luxurious clothing, but most students at Bucknell, myself included, view everyday meals and clothing as an expected necessity.
The other day, I asked my dad what he’ll buy me for Christmas; he gave his usual response of “your Bucknell education” I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, “Hopefully, Mom will at least get me something good.” But in reality, an education is a really, really great present that most 21-year-olds in the world would be thrilled to receive, so thrilled they’d never expect to get a “good” Christmas gift, too.
Maybe we tend to always want the “next best thing,” and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if we never take a step back and appreciate the things we are given, we tend to concentrate on what else we can acquire, and that’s a recipe for unhappiness.
Throughout our lives, people older than us have always told us to be thankful for everything in life we are given. But how often did you actually think to yourself how lucky you are? Or when was the last time you heard one of your friends comment on how much we’ve been given in life?
This Thanksgiving, don’t give thanks just because you “should” or it’s a tradition, or because God or your mother said so. I challenge you to step out now and then from our ingrained mindset that says “I’m entitled” and instead say “I’m grateful.”
