I can't help but compare my different seasonal outings. Some are big parties that generally make me feel oppressed. First, I'm small and feel like I am going to be crushed. Second, they are so loud that you can't hear much of anything and so, ultimately, boring. Still, just when I think I will never go to a big party again, I meet someone who stands out, who interests me (and hopefully, I interest them) and then the whole kind of bumper car environment seems more worthwhile.
Still, my favorite, are the small get-togethers. A few friends, a glass of wine, and some honest thoughts about who we are together. It is the season to be grateful. Not for everyone of course... Some people have been given so much to bear this year that it's enough for them to show up as opposed to sitting in a dark room playing the saddest country music they can find (a dangerous musical genre, by the way, when you are feeling low). I have friends who have lost just about everything in the Madoff scandal, friends that are facing job loss at the worst possible times, and friends with big time health challenges. The rest of us, those of us without (at least right now, life-threatening illnesses or economic ruin) should be filled with the most powerful feelings of gratitude for the luck of the draw at this moment in time. Life shakes everybody down at one point or another, but if we are at a moment in time when the fates have not turned on us, we should, and most of us do, feel thankful.
For me this is the season of gratitude. It starts at Thanksgiving and it continues into the New Year. Anything will set it off, blue lights, Christmas lights, seasonal music--I'm a pushover for anything sentimental. But most of all, it's friends. Friends who invite me over, friends who send an email holiday greeting, friends who drop by with a small gift or just to share a cup of coffee. Friends are at the core of my gratitude. It's their love, their loyalty and just the fact that they reach out of cyberspace or the phone or in person to remind me that I am not alone in the world--and neither are they. There is actually quite a bit of good research that shows that the more heavily networked we are with friends, family and even neighbors, the healthier and happier we are. Common sense and science agree that people matter.
So, I guess this blog is about gratitude in general, and for friendship in particular. Seasonal or otherwise, it's a good time of year to be thankful for what we have, who we know, who we love, and everyday blessings. That's my holiday sentiment, and now I'm going to go watch "It's a Wonderful Life" for the 75th time.
