Let's Get Grateful

Hello, my name is Anna. And, I am a compulsive overeater.

And, what kind of food junkie would I be if I didn't write on THANKSGIVING! The most EPIC FOOD FEASTING HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR!

Ehem.

What I mean, of course, is the holiday that's filled with all those darling messages about giving thanks and being grateful and counting our blessings. The holiday where we hold hands with family and friends around the dinner table, bow our heads, and say grace. The holiday where we ooo and ahh at the elaborately decorated floats and gigantic balloons of the Macy Day Parade.

Wait, what's that you say? You don't know that holiday? That description doesn't ring a bell?

Well, how about the holiday were we eat until stuffing comes out our ears and drink until wine dribbles out our nose. The holiday where we can barely keep our eyelids open while watching the football game because we're in a turkey-filled comatose. The holiday where when grandma asks, “Do you want a slice of Pumpkin or Pecan?” we promptly unbutton our pants, grab a second fork in the other hand and declare “BOTH! And don't forget the whipped cream!”

Oh, you know that one? Ahh, yes. Now THAT sounds like Thanksgiving!

All sarcasm aside, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. And, to be quite frank, it's because most of my Thanksgivings of the past have included every single one of the above descriptions. I've always looked forward to visiting with family, filling my plate during the Thanksgiving feast, reflecting on blessings of the past year, playing cards, and digging into the leftovers even before the day is through. It's the entire Thanksgiving Experience that gets me looking forward to that special Thursday in November even before the first snowflake hits the ground.

And yet, with a deeper awareness of my disease, it's most important for me to continue to make positive strides during my recovery. I struggle on days that don't include a table piled high with heaping platters of my favorite foods. And, with that knowledge, I am more aware. I am more mindful of my choices and have conscientiously focused my day on more than just the eating.

And even today, Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday.

I give thanks for my delightful community of yoga students who joined me this morning for a special holiday practice to fill their hearts and souls with some extra gratitude, love, and kindness.

I give thanks for a strong and healthy body, an insightful mind and a gentle spirit that are often much kinder to me than I am to them.

I give thanks for my incredible family and close friends. For the support I've received thus far from birth until now – especially during the past year.

I give thanks to my Creator, for having endless patience with me. For never once leaving my side, even when I did my very best to hide. The ultimate Master of Hide-and-Seek. (You always win.)

And, I give thanks for the food. For nourishing every part of my human-being. And for being so damn delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving!