With all of the anticipation for this Thursday, it's hard not to think about the few days off of school, gorging ourselves with pounds if turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing, and staying up all night to find the best Christmas deals for the following holiday. I personally have been relishing in the thought of only having to attend school until Wednesday. I think everyone has been feeling the hardships of the school semester and really need some mental health days. Whether we're working, in college, or high school students, we all know the pain of being busy and it's important for us to get some rest, the feasting and shopping are just cherries on top. Although I'm excited for the holiday it's self, I can't help thinking about how I'm taking advantage of it. I shouldn't just be looking forward to these couple of days off. Instead, I should be thankful, it is Thanksgiving after all!

I think that people all around really tend to get caught up in the unimportant details of this very special day when they should be appreciating what is right in front of them. Thanksgiving is an extremely unique holiday because unlike Christmas or the 4th of July, it's not as commercialized as the rest. Yes, there is Black Friday, but that hardly ever interferes with the simple joys of sitting to have a meal with your family. Thanksgiving isn't a time to fret over the small things, there are no gifts to give or decorations to worry about. Even if you can barley make mashed potatoes from a box, people will appreciate whatever you put on the table.

Thanksgiving is also really different because this isn't a religious holiday. I like to think of it as pure. I'd hope that everyone is familiar with the origins of Thanksgiving coming from the pilgrims and Native Americans finally rejoicing in their crops being harvested and their rivalries being mended. This was an act of two worlds coming together, showing the rest of the world that peace was possible among people that came from different worlds. To the original Thanksgiving partakers, there was no God they had to agree with, No politics they had to talk about, no worries of the world that we now live in. They simply took pride in their hard work in the previous months, and celebrated to thank each other for the help that they had given them along the way.

To me a story like this almost seems made up. As if there is no way that these two diverse groups of people could have ever agreed on anything. They didn't even speak the same language so how could they have every even helped each other? It may seem impossible, but it is more than true, because we've followed in this American transition the arose before America even existed. This holiday is wholesome, for everyone can participate!

So within the next couple of days, I really challenge you to grow more and more thankful for what you have or what you are looking forward to in the coming months. I know that this year I have so much to be thankful for, and I don't want to take any of it for granted. This day is so special to me because it helps me forget about all of the turmoil happening in the world around us, and helps us remember what it is exactly that we're fighting for, what we get up everyday and work for.

This holiday weekend I'd encourage you to take a step back and really appreciate all that you have, don't focus on the things that are missing because that is inevitable, and there's no point in wallowing for something you can't control. Be thankful this Thanksgiving!