Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the Holiday Season is fast approaching. The end of November leaves all of us thankful for the people we love and for every part of life that brings us happiness. This extra appreciation of life’s blessings is great, but it is often short lived. Why does it take gathering around a table of food or a Christmas tree for us to realize how much we have to appreciate? We are thankful on Thanksgiving Day, then we’re thankful around Christmas, and then it fizzles out. Once the New Year gets into swing, everyone seems to go back to their unvarying lives. Many times when this happens, we begin forgetting to continue counting our blessings and thanking our loved ones. Why not keep that going all year round?

Holidays serve as wonderful reminders of our heritage, which we would not be here without. However, we would not be who we are without the support systems around us. Family, friends, colleagues, and other social circles are vital to our well-being. We should be telling them how much they mean to us. Not to mention all of the opportunities we are given in life that have helped us grow as individuals. If something or someone has helped you to become who you are today, take a minute to say thank you.

As someone who has lost a loved one this year, I can tell you that no time is better than now to tell someone that you love and appreciate them. Life is too short to only appreciate its gifts for a couple of months out of the year. Even if we’re not verbalizing what we are thankful for, why don’t we just take a minute each day to remind ourselves of how fortunate we are? I’d like to start practicing this myself, and hopefully it is food for thought for others as well.