Giving Thanks - And Celebrating the Great American Pause Button

Flickr credit: D Sharon Pruitt

For those of us in the United States, today is our "Thanksgiving" - and it is among my favorite days of the year. Perhaps most because it is the one holiday that has thus far remained unsullied by our over-consumeristic society. (Which then makes up for that fact with the day after.)

Outside of the service industries (and some retail), almost all businesses are shut down.

Work... stops.

School... stops.

Activities in the community... stop.

The craziness of everyday life gets put on hold. There is a Great American Pause Button that gets pressed - and just for a moment - we all collectively stop what we do normally and, usually, gather together as families or groups of friends.

That isn't to say there isn't another kind of craziness at play on the actual day. Anyone who has hosted a gathering or driven long hours to one knows that. And certainly all our families aren't the peaceful romantic visions of Norman Rockwell yesteryear... and certainly there are many without families or homes for whom the day is a trying time.

But... just for a moment... we take a collective time-out.

And that in and of itself is a thing worth celebrating. A time to pause. A time for some to reflect. To celebrate. To play games. To watch games or movies together. To embrace the warmth of friends or family.

To simply... be.

It is a wonderful aspect of the day.

And as I reflect on the MANY things for which I am thankful, I do want to thank all of you who are reading this piece. Thank you for reading my writing over the past 10 years that I've been writing online... thank you for commenting... for asking questions... for challenging me... for linking to my posts... for pointing me to new ideas... thank you. You have enriched my life - and that means a great deal for me.

Whatever your traditions are on this day... or if it is just a "regular" day for you... I wish you the best of days!

Happy Thanksgiving!