For many of us, Thanksgiving represents a mixed bag of our most altruistic and our most greedy impulses. On the one hand, we gather together with our loved ones to celebrate all that we have to be grateful for. On the other, we often do this through excessive consumption and the madness of Black Friday shopping.
In this video from the Garrison Institute video archive, Christian contemplative David Frenette suggests that paying attention to ordinary moments can help us experience gratitude in a way that goes beyond celebration and frenzied activity. “Being present with sacred attention unlocks the door to the present moment,” he says. “If you practice this kind of approach to contemplation, the value is the ability to be present to the ordinary moments—like getting out of the car and stepping onto the pavement, looking around at the trees and the snow. It becomes charged with a sense of giftedness.”
However you’re celebrating this year, we hope that your Thanksgiving is marked by a deep sense of giftedness.