It’s the last Friday in November and the Christmas trees are up! I have such fond memories of my time working at BHS and the good old Christmas shop. I still smile at the memories of the cheesy music and vibrant atmosphere, the having to explain that we were only licensed to sell alcohol at the one till point and wrapping jar after jar of a certain type of chocolate spread/paint year on year. It’s now 27 years since I first started that job and the institution that was BHS no longer exists. Things change.
It’s Thanksgiving. I had an interesting conversation with a Y2 student today who is getting excited about celebrating with some friends tomorrow. She asked what I was doing so I explained that it isn’t a particularly British thing to celebrate and that I never have done. Her response was to apologise and say it was a shame that I wouldn’t receive any money. Admittedly, I’m not particularly aware of many of the traditions but I didn’t realise monetary gifts was part of the celebration but that may be my misunderstanding. The little I do know about it is that it’s about giving thanks, appreciating what we have and what we should be thankful for. Being conscious of what I am fortunate to have, what others might call ‘lucky’ to have, is something I regularly strive for.
As you know, I spend much of my commuting time browsing LinkedIn, my professional social network of choice (for now, at least while it is VPN-less) and recently somebody wrote a comment complaining about the amount of motivational statements – we should act on them rather than just share. In principle, I don’t disagree; action is important and more so than just words, however sometimes a short, sharp thought for the day is often just what we need to read or hear. Again, having Thanksgiving once a year almost implies that you only have to be thankful once a year but I’m sure that’s not actually what it’s about; it’s just about bringing attention to a specific period of time. I have seen enough American television to know that it certainly portrayed that people often begin a meal with what they’re thankful for whether that is on a regular basis instead of some level of religious statement or whether it is just that once per year.
It got me thinking – what am I thankful for? Over and above the basics, I would say that I was absolutely thankful for the people around me and thankful that I have an incredible group of people around me. I can rely on them; they are incredibly important to me and without them I could not do the job I do, and I would not be the person I am today. Many of us are experiencing difficult times for all sorts of reasons and need the support networks we have. They are important all the time, but maybe now more than ever we need to be the support for others as well as knowing that support is there for each and every one of us in turn. The times continue to be challenging and there are moments where it feels like there is no light at the end of a very long tunnel. However sometimes we need support to see that there is a glimmer or maybe to recognise what that light is. We are nearly at the end of a very long term and we are all incredibly tired both physically and emotionally. None of us should either shy away from that or try to minimise the impact of everything that we’ve all been through, are going through and will continue to go through.
Things happen in our lives and sometimes it’s a single event, a series of events or maybe just one final event that gives us real clarity, be that what is the right thing to do or simply how we look at things. Often when we make a decision, we know whether it is the right thing because of how it makes us feel. Life is change. People change, situations change, things change and it really is too easy to say it’s how we approach that change (it’s definitely easier said than done) and sometimes we have the capacity to look at that with a positive mindset whereas other times we’ve got nothing left to give, or at least feel that’s the case.
I would like, once again, to finish with a little wisdom from Pooh.
“A friend is someone who helps you up when you’re down, and if they can’t, they lay down beside you and listen.” — Winnie the Pooh
Happy Friday everyone.
Music today is once again from Youtube and ‘Top Acoustic Songs Cover 2021 Collection’. You say it best…
Rather apt I thought.
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