Today I’ll chat a bit about my relationship with Thanksgiving. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with holidays in general. To me they feel more like another marketing scheme, they seems to always be surrounded by a lot of stress and heavy emotions. But, as I’ve said before, there is always the good with the bad and the bad with the good. Throughout the years, my perception of this holiday has changed as I learn and grow on this journey.

I always felt a bit disconnected to my family growing up. Like the black sheep. I couldn’t understand how I was lumped in with others that were so different than I was. But…I have discovered that my family is one of my greatest teachers/lessons in this lifetime. I am very grateful to have had all of my experiences (up and downs) with them. I believe it has helped me come into my power and also to be open to others that have different outlooks and perceptions of their reality. Because lets face it…we are ALL different! Different and unique, beautiful and wonderful. We are all different but yet ALL connected. A very important thing to remember.

When we place judgements on others (such as if a family member is eating meat, saying something we might disagree with, etc) we are no better than them at all. We are coming from a place of ego where we think we are better or more evolved because we are a “different way” than someone else. But NO ONE is better than anyone else. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, how much money you make. At the end of the day a wave rises only to come back down to the calm sea it first arose from. We are all the flat sea, we are all water. Literally, we are almost all water.

So taking this lesson, we can look at our relatives or friends or whomever perhaps through a different lens. Perhaps with one of understanding, and one which we can hold space for one another without judgment. Allowing others to fully be their authentic selves without fear of ridicule is the best gift we can give another! Just to be ourselves, what a wonderful time it would be!

Practicing gratitude is also a big one. What are you really grateful for? What actually matters to you? Practice being aware and conscious this holiday season. What do you really need to make yourself happy? Do you feel like your giving more than you’re receiving or vice versa? Its important to take care of ourselves and our well-being, sometimes this can mean setting boundaries. Perhaps telling others “no”. Spending time alone to reflect and taking yourself out of toxic environments can be a challenging yet lifechanging-practice. It’s all about where you’re at in the journey, and what is best for you.

Remembering the origins of Thanksgiving. The relationship between the pilgrims and Native Americans. A lot of the time Native Americans and their traditions are left out of our history. But they ARE our history. The very foundation of it. We as a society can learn a great deal from their culture. For instance, they never took more than they needed. From the earth, from each other. They practiced gratitude and gave food to the sick, widowed, and children first before themselves. Honoring them and the real story of our country is something we can also think about.

Don’t be so hard on yourself if you eat too much, too little, how you look, what others say. You are exactly where you meant to be doing what you’re meant to do. Just be your authentic self and always spread light, kindness, and unity.

Peace,

Rylee