Thanksgiving and the Gift of Abundance

Tomorrow in the United States, it's Thanksgiving. This is a time when traditionally we are to give thanks for all that we have. In actuality, many of us are over eating and some even testing the boundaries of gluttony as they eat more than their fill. We no longer wish people a Happy Thanksgiving but rather a Happy Turkey Day, though I doubt many turkeys are all that happy.

Thanksgiving was a time when the early settlers where sharing their abundance. They were pleased to have survived the year and were sharing their harvest. Our nation continues to be a rich nation in many ways, though there is growing poverty in this nation.

Many people have little, if anything, to share and struggle to survive on the streets, having fallen through the cracks of social programs and private centers set up to help. Others have more than enough material wealth but are drowning in a sea of lonliness and alienation.

As we each go off to spend the day in our own manner, whether helping out at a shelter or spending time with family and friends or running off to the local ski resort for a few turns, let's remember to ponder the ways we can share our abundance. Perhaps we don't have the material goods to offer to help another, but we can take the time to listen. We can speak our truth when we see others suffering. If we have material abundance, perhaps we can give. We can give items that we no longer love. Coats and blankets can be as important as money and food at the shelters in the winter. We can give money and we can give our time. When we are exhausted and feel we have no more to give, maybe we can find one more smile.

What gifts can we offer to those who are not so blessed?

Not Enough Time

I feel hurried tonight. I've had a busy day and I just want to post so that I can say I did and then run off and maybe try and meditate. Yet my mind is racing and I have no idea what to say.

I'm posting that train of thought as I consider that taking time before allowing myself the sleep that I crave will help settle that scattered spirit. Getting much of what needed to be done gives a sense of satisfaction but the fact that it's late and the laundry is still not complete just makes me feel hurried and harried and certainly not very peaceful.

In an ideal world I could stop to reflect on the wonderful things that are falling into my life right now and be thankful, but because of the hurry with the Thanksgiving Holiday coming, I feel like I have to put that off for another day. Ironic, huh? Still as I write in this blog, something that I really enjoy and, let's face it, I am an addict, I can say I wish I had more time to slow down and savor those wonderful things in my life.

Time. It's the most precious thing. How many times do we each spend days like I did today, running from one thing to another, feeling unable to take time out to savor the moment in mindfulness? How do we get ourselves into this trap? It seems like it happens more and more. Is there really that much more to do or do we expect ourselves to accomplish more and more in the same amount of time? I wonder about that.

For now, I have a bit of time before the laundry finishes and I can put it away and go to bed, to sit and reflect and be thankful for the changes taking place in my life right now and watch them unfold. Tomorrow I might be a bit tired, but there looks to be a bit more time to just rest. Besides, tonight I should meet my needs in the now and let tomorrow worry about itself.

Going with the Flow

I am in the process of making a major real estate purchase. I do watch astrology and I know that right now mercury is retrograde. For those who don't know astrology, mercury retrograde tends to be a time when misunderstanding occur and miscommunication seems to happen more frequently than at other times during the year.

I've had several reversals and things that are being changed about the transaction during this process. Lots of paperwork has been late and there have been several misunderstandings that were easily cleared up. It is in my nature to want things to go smoothly but fortunately I had this astrological warning and so everytime something comes up that means a major change in thinking, I remind myself that things don't usually go as smoothly with mercury retrograde and just go with it. When it goes direct the right thing will show up.

I should remind myself of this more often, as I have this trust that the flow will bring me to the right purchase in a way that I am not often inclined to believe. I think this is wonderful. I wish I could package my current attitude for the future, but perhaps I can at least look back and remember this particular lesson of mercury retrograde.