A thank you would be nice—a simple thank you. Yet, it’s a hard way to make a living.
It’s rough needing the applause to get from one show to the next. Baking so that someone will say two words. Being the person that always cleans up the messes and hoping that this time your boss will notice.
Thanksgiving is not really about saying, “thank you.” We should strive to say thank you—a contest to see who in your family can say thank you to the most people could be a great exercise—but it’s not the thanks we’re giving.
Thanksgiving is about feeling gratitude for what we have and those who show us kindness.
Being thankful is about receiving a feeling, not words.
If we’re in it for credit, if we’re in it for a thank you, the lack of acknowledgment can ruin everything. Imagine if you gave your all to propel an actor to stardom only for the actor to say, “I know I forget someone” in his Academy Award speech and that someone was you.
Being thankful is about intention. If we’re building a community that people are thankful for, they will give back far more than a thank you. If you’re building an experience, the gratitude will be seen in their reactions and willingness to show up again.
I’m grateful for some of the mentors and teachers I was not thankful for at the time. These were the people who challenged me to be more and made sure I didn’t settle. I’m thankful for them now.
That may be the model for Thanksgiving in hard times. The world may not be giving out many moments that call for gratitude, and it’s alright to acknowledge that—no need to fake gratitude with an ill-placed Instagram quote on the subject.
In the future, hopefully we’ll find that the current challenges made us stronger. We’ll see a reason to be thankful. We don’t need to worry about that now.
If this is not a very thankful Thanksgiving, you can start by trying to say thank you.
