Happy Thanksgiving

Categories: Blog Nov 23, 2014

                                                                                              

I've probably shared this before, but growing up, I absolutely hated Thanksgiving. I always had to eat food I did not like: turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. I hated it. I dreaded the holiday. With two sets of grandparents, it meant two meals that I would have to suffer through. That was then, and I was but a selfish child.

Now, I enjoy Thanksgiving. Not for the food, I am still not crazy about turkey, but for the blessings in my life. I am thankful. In fact, lately, over the course of the last few years, every day is Thanksgiving.

I am a blessed man. I have a wonderful wife and two adorable young men. I have found wonderful new friends, whom I get to call brothers. I get to travel to new places, places I never even imagined I would go, and didn't even know I wanted to go - until I got there. I get to teach people and help people remember how to move. I get to tell people that they are not broken, and that they are meant to be strong and resilient. I get to watch their faces when they realize they can move (squat, roll, skip, crawl) like they could when they were younger. In other words, I get to share hope. And it is so powerful.

For all of these things, and so many more, I am truly thankful. The truth is, I have been blessed all my life, but now, now I am "aware." I am aware that I have so much to be thankful for. We all do.

I think it is easy to take for granted all of the blessings that surround us. I also think it is easy to miss all the gifts we have been given because we get caught up in the wrong thoughts and we get distracted by things that just don't matter.

Look at these simple things we might take for granted:

Can you put on your own shoes?
Can you walk in the grocery store without riding in a motorized shopping cart?
Do you get to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner every day?
Do you have a bed with sheets and covers?
Do you have a spouse, a child, a dog, a fish?
Do you have a brother or a friend you can call just to shoot the bull with?
Do you have a new sunrise and a new day to start fresh, every day?
Do you have a body that is capable of moving and healing?
Can you get up and down freely from your own floor?

These are just a few, very simple things we often take for granted. But they are also extremely rich gifts that many of us have been given. We all have immeasurable gifts that we can and should be thankful for.

Thanksgiving is here, in the United States. And, just like Christmas, every day should be Thanksgiving. We are blessed. Anything that takes your mind to the contrary of that statement is a distraction from the truth.

Sometimes the traps of life try to take your eyes off the gifts you have. Maybe it's an argument with your spouse, maybe it's a pain in your knee, or maybe it is just a "Monday". Whatever it is, wake up, look around and become aware. Don't be distracted from the truth. You have so much to be thankful for. Be thankful. Today, tomorrow, and every day.
Oh, I still do not like turkey. But, I do like knowing that someone cooked it for me out of love.
Thanksgiving Reset:

Breathe with your diaphragm for 2 minutes.
Perform 10 head nods while lying on your belly.
Segmental Roll x 3 times for each limb
Rock back and forth 20 times - keep your head up!
Baby Crawl x 3 minutes
Go for a brisk walk x 20 minutes - use those shoulders!

Smile
Be Thankful
Eat
Smile
Give hugs to your family
Smile
Breathe
Go for another walk - keep using those shoulders!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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