Less about turkey and more about sanity.

Why thanks-giving could be the sanity-saver 2020 has been looking for.

Here in Canada, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend; a holiday celebrated on the 2nd weekend of October and commonly met with, “Is that this weekend already???” 

But this year, Thanksgiving feels like it couldn’t have come at a better time. 

Never before in our lifetime of Octobers has the world felt so divided and angry. Fear is flying from every angle and it seems like a full-time job just to discern truth among the many “news” sources.

In an effort to inject some warm, fuzzy vibes into highly stressed North Americans - or maybe just to increase sales, Starbucks began pumping out Pumpkin Spice Lattes back on August 25th (the earliest they’ve ever been released). 

Unfortunately, feel-good-flavours are a short-lived fix for the swirling negativity and uncertainty of 2020, but if cinnamon and ginger can direct our focus toward thanks-giving...that might actually offer some hope.

Turns out consciously choosing to give thanks could be the anxiety-antidote our world needs right now.

New York Times bestselling author and Canadian mama of seven, Ann Voskamp, explains the phenomenon of thanks-giving this way:

“We only feel one emotion at a time so it’s impossible to give thanks and feel fear or anger.”

Did you catch that? 

“...It’s impossible to give thanks and feel fear or anger.”

Could it really be that simple? Having sold more than one million copies of her book book One Thousand Gifts, and having managed to write anything at all while raising that many children...we’re inclined to think Ann might know what she’s talking about.

So, the question is: how can you put this mental hot-wiring to work for you right now?

Voskamp suggests keeping a gratitude journal...or maybe your family simply shares what you’re thankful for around the dinner table each night. 

Maybe you’ll want to take James Clear’s advice and make thanks-giving a habit by tacking on a conscious thought of gratitude after every news article you consume.

[What might the world look like if we all just cultivated that one habit??]

Regardless of when your nation’s calendar recommends that you celebrate Thanksgiving, you may want to start looking for ways to make thanks-giving a daily event instead of a yearly one. 

Do you have an existing habit to which you could attach intentional moment of gratitude?

What’s an easy way you could cultivate intentional thanks-giving within your home?

If you're looking for a way to be militantly thankful, Author t-shirts are a fun and easy way to tangibly express gratitude for your abundance while fighting the extreme poverty that steals dignity and safety from vulnerable children. Find your favourite styles right here.