Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s the week of our Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., although many people might not know that the holiday is also celebrated in many other places around the world, perhaps at different times or under different names. Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, Rwanda, Germany, across Asia, to name just a few.

There’s lots of debate and speculation on exactly just how Thanksgiving started here in the U.S. and elsewhere with different stories about it’s original intention, ties to religion, ties to what we now call “politics,” the presence of “Pilgrims,” the role of Native Americans, and specific agendas of leaders. While massively important and not to be overlooked, let’s leave all that aside to tackle another day.

I’d instead like to focus on something I recently read in multiple channels about reframing the holiday that has completely inspired me. Maybe it’s time for a reframe.

Personally, giving thanks should be part of our DNA and I know I try to make it part of mine. Being thankful. Thanking each other for each other. And thanking the universe for health and well being (all kinds of well being). I think that’s exactly what the holiday is about but I’d like to offer a twist:

Thanks + Giving. Not Thanksgiving. Thanks + Giving. It’s both.

Give thanks but also give back.

Make the entire holiday, regardless of its origins or regardless of your personal POV on it, all about being thankful and being generous. Thanks to those around you who make you, you. Be generous with your time and your resources and even just your emotional support to those who need it.

Be thankful and be giving. Thanks + Giving.

That’s what this holiday should now be all about moving forward. The world needs it. You can throw in some turkey (or pasta or falafel or pad thai or whatever), for sure, because family and cultural traditions and how they evolve are what remind us to be thankful and be giving.

Thanks + Giving.

It’s a simple concept and a simple twist to the holiday. And I like it … I’m going to live by it.

What’s your experience? JIM