Thanksgiving Thoughts

While I am tempted to write about my thoughts on the amount of BPA being ingested today, and the environmental impact of the average Thanksgiving dinner, I will abstain for today.
Instead I will tell you what I am thankful for.

1. Food. With estimates of 7 billion people going hungry in the world and 50 million hungry in the United States, I am so thankful that I am able to put food on my table. Not just plain staples, if I want to make an all organic sumptuous meal, I could, and for that I am eternally grateful. I think about all of the food that will be in front of me in a few hours, and my heart hurts for those who go without.  Pictures of the famine in Somalia haunt my mind and my soul.
While my gut reaction is to DO something, giving money with a couple of clicks just doesn't feel like I am doing something. Also I am aware that the majority of aid is not getting into the refugee camps, so where would my money go? So I sit with this feeling and have great appreciation for the food that will nourish me. And I plan on volunteering at my local soup kitchen more often.


2. My apartment. The wild girl with wanderlust in me loves the idea of having not attachments and no place but the world to call home. But my inner being loves and is so thankful for my home, a safe haven that I can go to when it is cold or hot, and feel respite from the world. With an estimated 1.6 million people in the United States experiencing homelessness, I am so thankful for what I have. 



3. I know people may disagree with me, but I am thankful for activists. Those that camped for Occupy Wall Street, and participated in civil disobedience this past summer to protest the Keystone Oil Pipeline, these people are getting up off their couches and standing up for what they believe in. While I regularly call my senators and the president, I did not camp out, nor was I arrested this year. I had mixed feelings about OWS as there was not single platform in my mind, but the global concept is one I can stand behind and one that I followed. We are so lucky to live in a country where we can stand up for what we believe in and aren't left in jails for years for speaking up.
 Yes, there was tear gassing, and beatings reminiscent of protests in the 60's and this was so saddening. Yet people still take to the streets to fight the good fight. Thank you.


4. Love. I am so thankful for the love that I am surrounded by. From the loving kisses I get from my puppies in the morning, to the amazing people in my life, my cup of love overfloweth. Life is so much better when you have someone special to share it with, and I have found someone pretty special. In addition to that, the love freely given by strangers is one that always amazes me. If we all treated our everyday interactions coming from a place of love, imagine where we would be. No I am not talking about super schmaltz, just seeing the humanity in the other person, and sharing your love with them. Through holding the door for someone, not honking at LA drivers, or giving a dollar to a person on the side of the road, all of these come from a place of love.
Thus I am thankful for all of the love that has come my way, today and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.