Thanksgiving

In India it’s Thursday morning, just another day here. In my country people are winding down, getting ready for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner. Fall is a time for thanksgiving festivals around the world. The Khasi’s just had their Nongrem Dance. In China the Moon Festival recently passed. There’s something about fall and the darkening days that makes you want to stop and appreciate.

So in the spirit of the day, I’ve decided to be as mindful as I can of all the things I’m grateful for. As well as the big ones: family, friends, good health, there are so many little ones as well.

• One is for being here and knowing my kids and family will be spending the day sharing a meal with people who love them.
• Another is for new friends. The people here are what have really enriched my life, especially my liaison at the college and his family.
• Awesome bugs in India. I love the spiders.
• The cat who now rubs against my legs, but still  hisses if I try to touch her.
• My cottage has been cold, so yesterday I went to the beauty parlor to wash my hair and got a shoulder massage in the deal.

And so many others, people who make me laugh, people who have guided me in the right direction–over and over. And I suppose that could be both literally for someone as directionally challenged as I am and in the more metaphysical places.

I’ve always liked bowing rituals. It’s such an honorable way of approaching others. I bow to the divine in you. I think it’s a way of taking a moment to appreciate another person, to acknowledge the God inside each of us. So, to all my family and friends around the world, Namaste.