It's Thanksgiving Every Day! (without the turkey)

Have you ever been stuck, on Thanksgiving night, sitting around a table of family without a single thing to be thankful for? Probably not, because there's always something - family, friends, creamy mashed potatoes...but why should Thanksgiving be the only time of year when we give thanks for anything and everything we can think of?

The art of being thankful is something that I think the majority of us look over, but just a moment or two per day to reflect on the good aspects of your life can help put everything else in perspective. In these times, the worst recession since The Great Depression, I think a lot of us twenty-somethings are caught off guard - we've never had to deal with dwindling jobs, new found homelessness among perfectly capable adults, and massive layoffs among those in our own circles. But! What is the point of spending our days biting our nails and worrying about an economy that will mostly be determined by the actions of our new president and the state of the rest of the world? What we can do is save our pennies for the future, come up with a backup plan to our backup plan, and remain optimistic and thankful.

Here are my examples: I currently cannot run, an activity which I miss every day and is affecting my weight and cardio fitness - however I am thankful that I have my overall health and that I can still work, walk, and workout in other ways.

I recently lost my uncle to alcoholism, however I am thankful that his death does not go without teaching me an important lesson and probably will give me a sense of pride and a healthier life in the long term.

My job is sporadic, sometimes providing me with very little income. But I enjoy my job, I am thankful that I have found one that seems to fit with my personality and I finally have superiors who appreciate me, my skills and my hard work.

Lastly, I am so thankful to have my supportive family and wonderful friends. I am thankful that I have my mother living with me and she has also finally found a profession she enjoys. I thank my lucky stars for my cat - a source of infinite laughs and companionship. I'm thankful for music. I'm thankful for dance. I'm thankful to live in America. And I thank you for reading!