Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I haven’t been able to write blogs as often as I’d like because I am focused on my first year of college, which I am loving every moment of, so I am grateful that I have some time to reflect and write something today.

I am grateful for so much this year. My family, my friends, old and new, and the good in this world, including every single person that is fighting the good fight to make this world a better place.

My family has always had a tradition of going to the zoo on Thanksgiving. It’s usually empty and the weather is nice, and we walk around and spend the day together. This year, for the first time in probably 15 years, we forgot. We were so focused on me coming home from college for the first time that we didn’t think of anything else.

My sister, once she realized, was upset and started to cry. Tradition is important to us, so I get it. But it basically handed me this blog post on a silver platter because it allowed me to talk to her about one of the important lessons of Thanksgiving.

I explained to her that today is a day that we should be focusing on what we do have, not what we don’t have. Instead of being sad that we aren’t at the zoo, be glad that we are all together, that I’m home, and that we can watch the Macy’s parade together (another tradition).

I think the saying goes that “gratitude is the great multiplier,” and that means that if we focus on the good stuff and give thanks, we will get more back, it will allow the happiness to grow. We can choose to feel content, peaceful, and happy. Yes, it’s important on Thanksgiving to recognize the good in life, but it is important to do every day.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with good health, laughter, and as always, gratitude for what’s good. Be well, Adam