Thankful this Thanksgiving

Thankful! Seems a funny way to start a blog nowadays but it is in fact how I feel.

It’s me; Lucky Mushroom! I am not oblivious to all the stories of everything going wrong in the world today. I am not a dreamer that needs to wake up. I am not color blind. I am not blind to the needs of the less fortunate. I am not afraid to face the challenges of the day and I am aware that there are many. However, I am still a Lucky Mushroom.

That is one of the many reasons that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving! I will not go into the historical significance or meaning of the holiday. This blog is more about what it means to Americans, myself included, today. I have suffered financially as I try to cope with what I have been told is the “new reality”. Through it all, I have felt lucky somehow because like the Pearl Jam classic, “I’m still alive”. Well, I am still alive and I am thankful!

I have also blogged and continued to develop The Lucky Mushroom!

That is one of the many reasons that I am thankful on this Thanksgiving! I will not go into the historical significance or meaning of the holiday. This post is more about what the holiday means to Americans, myself included, today.

Today Thanksgiving is a time of reflection. We celebrate the fact that despite all of life’s challenges, we are still here and we are grateful for that fact. We try to consciously show appreciation for everything that we do in fact have, and through acts of generosity, we demonstrate our gratitude to that force in the universe that is richer than the richest of us yet has less than the poorest. The abundance on the table reminds us of how good we indeed have it after all. We eat but we pray for the hungry, we laugh but we bow our heads in humility, we drink but we do not forget those that are thirsty. Yes, we fight and we complain but we forgive and we move on. We hope with all of our heart that this relative making a scene at the table will be at the table again next Thanksgiving. We are unapologetically sentimental as you can see by this post.

I see more than just conflict and disagreement when I watch or listen to the news. I see potential. I hear and feel a sense of optimism that is as infectious as the pandemic that currently has a firm grip on us. In having had our liberties taken away, I sense a deeper appreciation for those liberties. I do not see communities breaking apart; I see communities recognizing the potential of coming together. In our isolation, we have extended our digital hands for a handshake around the globe. We have stopped and taken stock of what is happening in our communities. We have begun to share those stories with people from other communities that span the globe. I see emboldened people openly speaking about the isolation that they used to suffer in their own isolation. I see a world that has finally recognized the importance of human interaction.

This Thanksgiving

some family gatherings will be smaller but the sense of thankfulness will be greater than ever. Some will connect digitally but the exchange will be more heartfelt. Some will dine alone but they will know that they are not alone in their isolation. This Thanksgiving will be like no other in our lifetimes but it will be the first for many to truly reflect on what it means to be thankful; myself included.

I am thankful to be able to continue to blog! I am thankful when just one person takes the time to read these posts. I am thankful that I am able to post my sentimental rambling. I am thankful for every English learner that places their trust in Lucky Mushroom. I am thankful for having a family that loves me. I am thankful for having a voice and lungs strong enough to tell them how much I love them.

I am thankful that even in my isolation, I am never alone.

Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday from Leonard Nimoy Slater The Lucky Mushroom.