Thanksgiving is the one day a year when we are practically forced to think of other people before ourselves. Sitting at the Thanksgiving table with friends and family, and being put on the spot to say what we are thankful for is just a box to check for most, with the overused sentiment of being “thankful for good food” or for “everyone gathering for this meal together” because we can not possibly think of anything else we are thankful for. With the talk of all things thankful, it is hard to ignore the fact that we avoid this topic all throughout the year. We even try to skip over gratitude on Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas festivities as soon as November rolls around. This begs the question: are we so self-absorbed as a society that we need a holiday to remind us to think about other people? Why is it so hard for us to appreciate all the good in our lives, and why do we limit this gratitude to one day a year?
The root of the problem is we go about our daily lives focused on our own plans and our own ambitions. Few of us ever stop to think how what we do or say affects anyone else; life is always about me, me, me. It seems as if we do not even have time to enjoy life because we make ourselves out to be such busy people. We find the cost too high to do a simple task for another human being because we simply “don’t have the time.” I know I’ve made that excuse before, and I can bet you have as well. Something to keep in mind that a wise older woman once told me is that “the best gift you could give someone is your time.” All it takes is a little effort, and you can easily improve someone’s day. It does not take much, just show other people that you care about them and are willing to sacrifice part of your day to spend time with them. We have all heard the saying “time is money,” but I can not think of a more worthy use of time than giving back to the people who have given so much to each of us in the past.
Don’t just help others to make your college application look good or because your parents told you to; if that is what you are doing it for, don’t even bother. Giving back is not about obligation. It is about the gratitude and compassion you feel for another person who has dealt with something hard or makes a difference in your life. You can learn a lot from serving others, and they could quite possibly change the way you see the world. I am not saying that you need to go out and solve world hunger (although that is not a bad idea), but take the time and examine your life to see who in it could use a little compassion right now. It could be a friend who is sick, a little kid who looks up to you, a lonely grandparent, or a group of widows at your church. Take the time. A small portion of time taken out of your day could mean the world to someone else.
