It’s easy, if you’re out forging a trail up a very steep mountain (literally or metaphorically), to see only the challenges and struggles of the moment. As a friend of mine says about any adventure, “Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you’re having fun.” Sometimes you also have to stop and remind yourself of all the things you have to be thankful for, on whatever challenging and uncharted journey you’ve undertaken.
Indeed, the very first Thanksgiving was a conscious act by the Pilgrims (or “English Separatists,” as they were called back in England) to stop the work of the adventure for a day and remember, and give thanks, for all the gifts of the moment. Even though much uncertainty still lay ahead.
So in the spirit of that first pause in the action, I offer the following list of “Things to be Thankful For” to anyone who is currently in the midst of any uncertain, uncharted, or challenging life adventure:
- Be thankful for the fact that you are not bored. Overwhelmed, maybe. Terrified about failing, perhaps. But imagine the alternative. A day where nothing challenges or excites you, and no great satisfaction of accomplishment is possible, because no great accomplishment is ever required.
- Be thankful for the limitless possibilities an uncharted path holds. If you are pursuing an uncharted, adventurous path in life, you are not working as a clerk at K-Mart, punching in and out each day with no great possibility of something more exciting tomorrow. Or, if you ARE working at K-Mart, it’s because it’s supporting some other important goal which remains possible, or becomes more possible, with each new paycheck. The writer and adventurer Antoine de St. Exupery once wrote about the night-and-day difference between a prisoner breaking up rocks in a prison yard and a man breaking up rocks to build his own house. The task might be the same, but the purpose differed greatly. And in that purpose lay the difference between imprisonment and freedom.
- Be thankful for your friends, and all the help you get from those who support you. Nobody ever achieved anything great alone. And friendships formed in the darkness of the woods, on a challenging journey, have a sweetness and power to them that many backyard barbecue friendships lack.
- Be thankful for the opportunity (read: necessity) the path you’re on gives you to be creative. Humans are, by nature, creative creatures. But that ability weakens if we never use it. We also lose our confidence in our ability to think on our feet and be creative if we don’t practice the art, diminishing the size of the world in which we’re able or willing to explore.
- Be thankful for all you do have. Life may seem highly challenging and uncertain at the moment, but at least you are (probably) not in a war zone, with incoming shells and machete-wielding rebels attacking while you sleep. If you have a roof over your head and enough food and clothing for the moment, you’re ahead of many people in the world. You can figure the rest out tomorrow.
- Be thankful for the moments of joy. Adventure may not be easy or comfortable, but it almost always includes moments of precious, rich experience that can’t be found on the easier paths of life. Savor all of those moments and discoveries you’ve been privileged enough to experience.
- Be thankful for the gift of passion. If you’re voluntarily taking on a challenging adventure, it means you have some level of passion for the endeavor. You wouldn’t agree to all the challenge and discomfort, otherwise. Which means millions of people in the world envy you right now. (I can hear some of you laughing, I know. Adventures always look better from the outside.) But seriously. It’s a gift to have something you can get that excited about. People long to find that kind of passion, purpose, and fire, but many don’t even know where to begin to find it.
- Be thankful for being alive. Both literally, and in terms of your energy for life. Life is short. The banquet may have a real mix of dishes on it, but at least you still have a seat at the table. Raise a glass, dig in, and savor the glory of it all!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lane
Cheers! (and thanks for the reminder of all the uncharted things we have to be thankful for)