It is 26 November 2020, Thanksgiving day in the US. Many people write how thankful they are on this day. It gives me pause to think about it, i guess and amongst many traditions, this one is pretty good. The holiday itself is meant to remember when the pilgrims sat down with the Indians for a meal. These days, it is a day of peace and quiet and a big meal. Some watch parades or football on tv (American football only, sadly). I have always loved Thanksgiving – its a low stress holiday, other than cooking a big meal. Eating and drinking to excess are easy to excel at, i have found over the years.
This year is wacko of course. A virus attacked an apparently defenseless world. The President of the USA didn’t really give a shit, so over 200,000 people died. Everyone has been impacted, either from inconvenience or tragedy. As I sit in the mountains of Colorado with my oldest daughter, I realize I am incredibly thankful, and this year has made me realize it more deeply than ever before.
It is a good year to be retired. I am focused pretty much entirely on helping non-profits (i chair the board of Junior Achievement in Ct, and do pro bono consulting for a variety of other non-profits). I get to spend extended time in beautiful settings like Maine and London and Colorado – safely – and have enjoyed an unprecedented amount of time with my wife and grown children. It has been stunningly rewarding, even in the face of this crazy year.
I read a wonderful editorial in the New York Times today, written by the Pope. You don’t have to be a catholic to admire it.
You can feel lucky and privileged, yet still open your heart to others. He writes of the health challenges of his youth and his appreciation for helping others. He speaks about the coronavirus and how most countries and leaders have been trying to protect their citizens yet some look at the crisis through the narrowly defined lens of personal freedom and therefore refuse to wear a mask on principle. He also reminds us that there are many more invisible crises than just the coronavirus, and perhaps we can use this time to rethink our priorities, to realize we are more connected than divided, and I like what he says.
Happy thanksgiving to all of my American friends….and thankfulness for all of my friends around the world. The world is a much smaller place than it was when I was a child, and that is a wondrous thing. My glass is half-full today. Cheers.
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