As I look back on a year of my life, and of the 125+ posts I have written I am reminded of the importance of being thankful.
Even though other people around the world do not share our holiday of Thanksgiving. I'm sure many of you have things that your are thankful for.
In the film Happy there is a Buddhist monk named Matthieu Ricard that practices a special type of meditation called compassion meditation. He has practiced this form for many years and when MRI scans are done, a certain part of his brain lights up that is often associated with happiness. As they said in the film, simply practicing compassion can increase happiness. I believe that doing good deeds shouldn't be limited to just Thanksgiving but the whole year too, and appreciating what we have and being thankful i.e. counting our blessings by sharing the moment with others can bring joy to all.
Another character in the film Menoj Singh is a rickshaw driver in Kolkata, India. He lives in a slum with his family, but he is a consummate optimist. He doesn't focus on his poverty, but instead focuses on what he does have: A home, close family, good friends, and while these things aren't always associated with financial rewards, the intrinsic is sometimes what can bring us more lasting happiness.
In keeping with these ideas, I am reminded of a story that happened to me when I was a freshman in college. I decided to drive home with several female friends before the Thanksgiving holiday. We were all excited about being with our families, having some time off from school work, and enjoying some real home cooked food. Quite a change from SUNY Albany's Dutch Quad kosher kitchen. Whose food was often too spicy or too bland. In fact the food plan (UAS) could have meant "Use Alka Seltzer."
We were in my friend Linda's car when all of a sudden the card started to shake violently. The first chance we got we pulled over to the service road of the Long Island Expressway. At that time I had never changed a tire before and I was a little clueless. Even today if I had a flat tire I'm not sure if I could do it right.
The girls got out of the car and we all looked at the flat tire with shock.
Linda looked at me and then asked, "Do you know how to fix a flat?" I looked up and just shrugged. I looked around but no one else had a clue. Then I saw a man start to walk to our car from his driveway.
"Do you need some help?" He asked.
"Yes, please." We all said gratefully.
At this time in my life I didn't have AAA let alone AAA+, nor did any of have cell phones. So his help was greatly appreciated.
He assessed the situation and then started to get to work. He got a jack out.
"Do you have a spare tire?" he asked.
Linda popped the trunk and gave him the spare. Fortunately for us it was in good shape. In short order he had jacked up the car and put the spare on.
"You're all set." He said with a smile.
"What do we owe you?" we said with great appreciation.
"No charge," he replied. "it is the holidays you know."
We thanked the man profusely and then continued the drive back
Sure that we would now be home for Thanksgiving on time.
Life Lesson 117: Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. A time to be grateful for what we have not what we don't. A time to help others and realize that we can fill up our bellies with food, but to feel truly fulfilled we should fill up our souls as well through doing the right thing without expectation of reward. Finally, let's not forget that by sharing our good spirit with others in word, deed, and praise can bring joy to all. As Mark Twain once said, "I could live a month on a good compliment."
May we all around the world enjoy the message of Thanksgiving, and take the time to be thankful.
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