THANKSGIVING & GRATITUDE - A NON-EXHAUSTIVE GUIDE
As the weather starts to get worse and worse and I reaffirm for the billionth time that I am ill-equipped for the colder seasons anywhere other than in South East Asia or on the Côte d’Azur, I find solace in the fact that harkening in this turning of the seasons is the glorious, gravy-soaked gratitude-fest of Thanksgiving.
Oh god my mouth is watering at the thought as I sit here a billion kilometres away from my family, and the unfortunate knowledge that nothing resembling a turkey nor cloudy, swirling mounds of garlic-laced mashed potatoes is going to be anywhere near my feigning little kitten paws today.
Yet I’ll be as motherfuckingly thankful as anything with my standard raw-vegan veggie food that I’ll chase with a bottle of Sauternes to show my gratitude for the French people’s mastery of fermenting grapes.
The Kitten Life is always about positivity and spreading light. Therefore I won’t touch upon the sketchy roots of the holiday, nor will I mention the massive paradox that is the consumerism-driven face-stuffing of “food” created in factories at the detriment of ecological systems, the planet and our bodies, all in celebration of a bountiful harvest.
Instead I’ll touch upon the creaminess that all kittens should be spoon-feeding into the mouths of all creatures every second of every day, epitomized in the North American context on this jazzy long weekend in October.
Living each moment in pure gratitude.
Glowing with outward-focused energy cycling from your core and out into the Universe. From a place of overflowing fullness and appreciation of all, never from a place of lack or want.
My favourite part of Thanksgiving, when I am fortunate enough to celebrate it with my family, is when everyone standing around the kitchen is hushed by my nana and turn inwards towards the turkey, heads bowed, and she says a beautiful grace to God thanking the Eternal for us being together, our health, the roof over our heads, all those who have passed, all the young people working hard on their education, all those working to support those less fortunate, and of course the incredible bounty of food.
Amen!
A moment that brings tears to my eyes because the power in her words comes from a pure-hearted saint walking amongst us whose spirit truly embodies what it means to live a conscious, enlightened life that makes a positive difference in the world.
An earth-mother whose energy channels the angels and celestial beings who want nothing other than for us to rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
What a time to be alive!
Here you are, alive and surrounded by space and stillness, filled up with asteroid dust and wavy turquoise water.
Gratitude is your default.
A billion trillion stars all got together in perfect alignment to breathe consciousness into you and then dropped you into this kitten maze to see what beautiful things you would do, what awe-inspiring connections you would make with your fellow humans, plants and animals, what far reaches of the planet you’d discover, the depths of love you would fall into.
If you feel you’re being tested, beaten down by your life situation, every aspect of your drama-filled days falling apart, be thankful! There is nothing that is happening that shouldn’t be. Nothing happening that isn't a reflection of the current state of your inner world.
Everything is unfolding in divine order, so use Thanksgiving to reset your energy container to functioning from a place gratitude rather than despair or futility.
And trust me, this weather-beaten kitten, when I promise that you’ll be back in alignment with the Universe’s good graces, abundance manifesting all around you, no more than three or four days after your cranberry-sauce-carrot-puff-bacon-wrapped-brussel-sprouts-induced indigestion goes away.
For now, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.
Eat all the pumpkin pie.
And in case you need some inspiration, here is The Kitten Life's list of things you can do to show your gratitude today and every day...
- Call your grandparents just to talk.
- Splurge on a beautiful bottle of champagne to share with your bff(s) just because. Pro tip: light some incense and drink it in the bathtub together.
- Babysit someone’s baby to give them a break. Then take the kid to a park somewhere and blow bubbles together and watch the sheer delight and happiness of young people billow out across the land.
- Flip those negative thoughts about an ex-lover into something positive. Be thankful for their existence and wish them all the best in finding the love of their lives. Then let all thoughts of them go forevaaaaaa.
- Hit up someone who inspires you. An insta-crush, a favourite prof, the street performer who makes you smile on the metro. Reach out and tell them you appreciate the fact they're alive and tell them how great what they’re doing is and how impactful they've been to you.
- Masturbate a couple times.
- Before you go do groceries, ask an elderly neighbour if they need anything picked up from the store.
- Buy a scratch-and-win for the person behind you in line next time you go to buy rollies or coffee cream.
- Pick up some litter off the road and throw it in the trash.
- Do your roommate’s dishes.
- Bring coffee to a horrible work colleague on monday morning. Hand it to him/her with a big fucking authentic smile plastered across your grateful face.
- Pet all the kittens.
- Buy the next round. Make it whiskey.
- Stop and sit somewhere, anywhere, clear your mind and just look. Look at how mind-numbingly gorgeous, earth-shatteringly perfect, thought-transcendently awesome the world is. And then never do anything ever again that contradicts how good that feels.