Daily Divine: Take charge of your own Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving can be a stressful holiday—especially if you're the one in charge of shopping for food, cooking complicated recipes and cleaning up after a big meal. Even if those aren't your tasks, the double whammy of Over Indulgence in food, alcohol and football and Over Exposure to family members you don't normally spend time with...

Why do we do it this way?

Back in the day, the pilgrims were pretty happy to just BE ALIVE on this day... they'd survived the trip and their first year. How that translates into a gluttony of turkey, pie, football, Black Friday, shopping craziness and more... I'm not quite sure.

In any case, regardless of what plans and obligations you've already agreed to, I invite you to find a spot of joy that fills YOU. I invite you to TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR OWN THANKSGIVING.

This might mean skipping traditional festivities and instead:

• Go to a good move—an uplifting movie, an interesting movie.

• Read a book that you LOVE

• Skip the foods you know will make you feel sick...

• Take a long lovely walk in nature

• Organize a friendly game of touch football in the park. Get as muddy as possible. Don't keep score.

• If the family dysfunction gets too much, either pass on it entirely, or step outside for a breath of air

• Don't buy ONE SINGLE THING all weekend. No Black Friday. Just... Let...It... Go.

• Play cards or a board game. Let someone else win.

• Do a simply craft, something you might have done when you were five, or six...

• Pray, meditate, go to a spiritual service.
 
* Sing, dance, play music.

• Stay up to watch the stars in the night sky

• Make a timeline of your life, and give thanks for every single thing you can recall: the good, the bad, the ALL of it. Be in awe, of what your life has been up until this moment.

• Be very, very grateful you don't have to wear Pilgrim clothes in your daily life, unless of course you like that sort of thing... and then of course proceed in joy!

This long, luscious weekend does not have to be a frenzy of shopping , overeating, overdrinking and family dysfunction. Those are not conscious choices. You can choose a different way, and you will feel so much better for doing so.

Gratitude, for the good, the bad, the ALL of your life, is a lesson and a teaching of the SHIFT. Once you accept everything as a Soul experience, your reality begins to change. Take charge of your own Thanksgiving... let your new reality reflect this intention.

Much love,

SARA