The 11th of October, was Canadian Thanksgiving.  For the majority of Canadians, and I believe it is safe to include our neighbours to the South, a Thanksgiving celebration means a huge meal that includes turkey and pumpkin pie.  A search on the internet with the word thanksgiving brings up sites that refer to turkey, menus and meal plans … the more significant aspect, giving thanks, falls off the radar screen.  Thursday, the 25th of November is the day that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving therefore I believe that it is appropriate for me to enter this short musing on the significance of giving thanks.

For those that do focus on giving “thanks” to all good fortunes, the “thanks” is expressed almost exclusively on that one day.  Then the next day we switch back into that state of what I call “non-awareness” where we take for granted all the little miracles that make our existence on this amazing planet so magnificent.  I don’t even know if saying that we take them for granted is correct.  We just go through our days totally unaware, in a comatose state as regards our surrounds and us. 

As I sit here with my laptop on my lap, right there I have so much to acknowledge as a miracle and to give thanks.  It was not that many years ago that technology did not provide me with a tool as wonderful as a computer.  I look out of my window and the sun is shining brightly on the mountains of North and West Vancouver.  The homes that hug the mountainside are beautifully appointed with greenery.  The air is clean as are the roads and sidewalks.  These are all details that most of us overlook but if you have been to Caracas, Casablanca or even one of our many Canadian cities, you will not find such pristine surrounding as we have here.

Then I look down at myself.  I started my day with yoga, which challenged my body with stretches and moves that many of the 5 billion plus inhabitants of this world would find impossible to execute.  That is something for which I am daily thankful.  All the people that I interact with, both directly and also indirectly, enrich my journey through life and I hope that I recognize their significance regularly throughout the year. 

I could go on and on but will stop because I believe that I have made my point.  We underestimate the treasures, the amazing power that is in each one of us, that power that keeps this universe/life in perfect rhythm.  I encourage you to be thankful for that on a daily basis and not only on Thanksgiving Day.