Still a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving
“I’ve got plenty to be thankful for
No private car, no caviar
No carpet on my floor
Still I’ve got plenty to be thankful for.
How could anybody ask for more?
My needs are small. I buy ’em all
At the five and ten cent store
Oh, I’ve got plenty to be thankful for.”
– Bing Crosby song from the movie Holiday Inn
In this season of giving thanks, it will probably be tough for many to be thankful after the last eight months — and who knows how many more — of the coronavirus. Businesses have closed and continue to do so, thousands are still out of work, and hospitals are overflowing with COVID-19 patients. There have been major protests throughout the country and the societal issues continue. On the personal side, business is down but OK. We have had to postpone a major family reunion and a dream Italian vacation, and rather than getting together with our entire family this Thanksgiving, it will only be about a third of the gang.
However, as the lyrics above state, I’ve got plenty to be thankful for. Through a combination of live, online, and socially distanced face-to-face training events, we are managing to forge ahead businesswise. We do have relatives who have contracted the virus and, in all cases, experienced uncomfortable but minor symptoms. Thankfully, all have either recovered or are in the process. We still have the ability to patronize our favorite restaurants, albeit for takeout only. Since we are being extremely careful, we have managed to stay healthy. We talk with our kids and grandkids at least weekly — a new habit that never took place in the past. On the same note, I talk with my siblings every week as well. We continue to explore new recipes (the one downside is that these recipes have a tendency to add new weight). We are walking and walking and walking! Just to break the monotony of walking in our neighborhood, we have rediscovered the incredible Dane County Park System. We even drove to the Horicon Marsh to experience the wonders of nature in that magic environment.
So here is the message: In spite of all the negative messages — and there are many — that keep coming at us nonstop, stop to reflect on the positive!
On a personal note, when surrounded by the negative clouds of daily life, I listen to the words of the spiritual, “Peace in the Midst of the Storm.”
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