Alana Smith
It’s November, y’all. One of my most favorite times of year.
The leaves are changing and the humidity is almost gone. The air is cool and the coffee is hot.
College football is in full swing, and it’s finally appropriate to eat soup and build a fire. The anticipation that Christmas is right around the corner — but not so close that you feel frantic and feel the need to shop and wrap everything in a hurry.
November is just a tad easier. Adulting is hard and I feel like there is so much pressure all the time, in every month. But November seems to give us a small reprieve — like it somehow knows that the next month will be a real doozy for us all.
In November there is a little less yard work. Less pressure to exercise and diet. Less trips to plan and places to go. More time for movies and baking pies. (If you bake pies, which I do not.) A month to prepare, really. And to be thankful.
This year, I want to focus on being more thankful. Intentionally thankful. It can be a challenge when the nightly news is frustrating and sad. And when everything is so dang expensive. And when my kids are driving me totally bonkers. And when my marriage is in a slump or payday is just too many days away. Or when family gatherings loom, and I know the air will be tense.
This year, I’m choosing thankfulness despite all of that. I will be thankful.
For the breath in my lungs. For the health of my two boys. For a warm bed and lights and clean water to drink. For family and safety and jobs. For the Thanksgiving meal that awaits. For second chances and old friends and Starbucks. Don’t forget Starbucks!
When we are thankful for the big stuff — family, health, food — then it’s easier to see all the small things as blessings as well, and not take them for granted. I am less bothered by daily annoyances when I remind myself of how blessed I truly am (I have to work at this every day).
And in return, I am more hopeful for the future. I recently read that gratitude is an “affirmation of goodness,” meaning that life isn’t perfect but finding the good and being thankful for it shows gratitude. And I think that gratitude leads to happiness. I’m no expert, but I bet it does. I am grateful.
I hope your November is full of happiness, rest and all the carbs. Oh, and Starbucks.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Alana is a nurse anesthetist, writer and boy mom (ages 8 and 3), who lives in north Shelby County with her husband, kids and Boxer, Sam. When she’s not writing or chasing little humans, she can usually be found in the aisles of Target. She shares her writings at Holy Moly Motherhood (on Facebook and Instagram), where she takes on all things motherhood and marriage.
