In the past decade, I have spent 3 separate Thanksgiving holidays abroad or overseas that was everything but a calm Happy Thanksgiving. It was organized chaos in Mexico, Spain, and Morocco.
It’s all relative to each person’s life. For me, the trips were exciting and memorable times, and during more calm days when we traveled around freely. Some refer to as “the easier days.”
Those holidays, I was attending celebrational gatherings and occasions. But despite the freedom and travel adventure, I always felt something missing, being away.
…It’s the similar feeling that you get when you’ve arrived to your destination (place or accomplishments) and now you’re ready to go home or move on to what’s next…
Have you been there?
In those past Thanksgiving occasions, I knew that the something-missing was being in the country that I’m most grateful for, where I live and grew up celebrating Thanksgiving (along with all Americans) on the last Thursday in November. 🦃
Watching the Macy’s Day Parade is a calm Happy Thansgiving event I look forward to… and, hearing television football games played in the background, catching up with family and friends, getting the special dinner on the table in the afternoon, and forgetting calories to celebrate.
…And remembering that Thanksgiving starts and sets the countdown to Christmas.🎄
Holiday time is also a time when holiday stress can creep in finishing work projects for the year, gift giving decisions, and sometimes compromising decisions on food and travel, and making winter and holiday plans.
…So, especially if that’s you, I wanted to help you to find a calm Happy Thanksgiving to kick-off your BEST holiday season.
I joyfully love to keep my holiday season as calm and simple as possible. And baking at home is one of those ways. That’s how I roll (and some time before this year ends I’ll be baking my first swiss roll and you can be the judge of how it turns out… so stay tuned).
And our staying calm is how I believe we can win in our life’s marathon. You don’t have to look far to find ways to not find R&R in this life. It’s your perception (mindset shift) that can change everything for you. I know this, because it did for me.
You can stay cool as a cucumber even when your situations get complicated and sometimes out of our hands.
You’re your biggest influence if you allow yourself that empowered choice.
We can go after the things that make us happy or feel calm.
One example is the Black Friday and Cyber Monday frenzies (you don’t need a reminder as they’re everywhere). Those are part of our newer culture traditions, but not what make a calm Happy Thanksgiving.
I mentioned I was overseas on three Thanksgiving occasions. One occasion was spent in Seville, Spain.
That year, I noticed they had similar shopping celebrations inside a mall I went into. I realized day after Thanksgiving big shopping sales don’t just happen in America in a shouting from the rooftops or fun confetti gun sorta way 🎉.
My turkey (while not the traditional kind) that year came from an express Carrefour grocery supermarket, and while not stuffed (the turkey or myself 😊), I felt grateful that I was healthy and able to travel before I started a new work chapter in my life.
… I felt I knew what I more deeply wanted in this Life… meaningful things that brought more peace, joy, and love that were missing from the previous season.
…That can sound like a Hallmark card or movie-ish, but that’s what everyone wants no matter what socioeconomic status. That never changes. And even if it’s never declared.
Having nice stuff is great, but getting in a habit of buying can swallow us up if we take the eye off the real joy and riches in this world.
And then those fickle feelings, thoughts, and moods can creep into the day. And we can easily feel dissatisfied at some point when our elated feelings draw to an end and the novelty wears off (…that’s this life).
We can then feel something missing when what we really want is to feel whole (and not missing anything). We want to feel healthy and healed.
So, from that lens, looking for the calm (and not the highs that can lead us to the lows) keeps us joyful, content, and in full gratitude (for our life). And in control of our feelings and lives. Simple to say but not easy to do if the mind muscles haven’t been stretched or we get super busy or proud.
I remember in my past, I would get invited to foodie restaurants where the bill would be similar to say getting the indulgent luxury spa works package.
I never felt guilty, but I never felt any better than if I didn’t go, when I looked back. There was a misalignment.
Deeper inside, I remember feeling I would have preferred to just stay at home and eat a nice bowl of delicious healthy homemade soup instead of getting all dolled-up to go out and splurge on a decadent 4-course dinner.
I didn’t need to feed my ego and outer wants. And my body would’ve thanked me for it too!
…It took me feeling that I wasn’t missing anything to get to that revelation. Does that make sense?
And maybe since I had worked in and out and behind-the-hotel catering and restaurant hospitality-scenes, my lens was altered and the happy going-out eating Disney-effect just wasn’t the same.
…but I really do think it was more just being misaligned with my purpose. At that time, I was still trying to figure out what category that could be as I used limited gifts and talents (and more management and planning skills) in corporate work.
Today, I know what keeps life calm and joyful (especially as we enter holiday weeks where it’s easy to get off healthy and happy balance)… and, that’s taking care of and growing yourself (mind-body-spirit).
We all have a chance to forge a new path or start a new pivot for the first or nth time in this or the next season. I know what that is like as much as anyone (and probably even more). It can be a little uncomfortable in uncertainty, but with taking risks come rewards.
You could be in a slow season or a fast-paced one that’s passing you. Neither I found were sustainable. They were for a season.
And whatever the case is for you today, it’s better to take charge of your destiny.
…Because you’ve probably noticed in your life, as soon as you get used to a way, then a new one is presented especially these days in our warp speed up and slow down world… and sometime it’s hurry up and wait (that will help you in your adaptability and flexibility… good skills to have!).
If you want to find your next calling or your purpose, one thing you can do is maintain better consistent sleep which I think is one of the telltale signs of your optimal mental health (and of course physical health).
If you have a new purpose to wake up for or purposefully trying to search for one, your mental health improves and that helps your sleep. And getting moving with physical exercise can be one of those easier ways to get this sleep party started (if that needs restoration).
As for finding your life’s purpose, if that’s the crossroad where you are, thinking outside of what’s around you and finding inspiration from those outside your circles (different from you) and the sources you usually would look at, can definitely spark new life and life-giving journeys…
For many seasons, looking back, I found I was thinking way too small at times (not dreaming big) and usually those were clouded thoughts. There wasn’t a sharp gut knowing that I had felt before in other seasons (from dreams or heart whispers). Like those feelings of when you know, you know, and when you don’t, you don’t.
When I got more air and space, I could believe for bigger things, and those ideas became my reality. Not usually right away, but sometimes they did “suddenly” in life’s mysterious and everything-happens-for-a-reason ways.
I consider myself a feet-firmly planted on the ground type of person… and maybe that’s how you operate.
On the ground, these days with all the resources we have available to us, we can go straight to the root, find resources, and decision maker sources, and bypass months of trying to find right answers, and get in the front door. The right ones open for you in your effort and staying calm.
And to help you stay calm, here are 3 simple ways to stay feeling balanced, joyful and in calm waiting (if you are waiting) over the Thanksgiving weekend and maybe (hopefully) beyond…
3 Calm Happy Thanksgiving Tips
Tip # 1. Redo your space. Bring out all the inspiring things, words, pictures, books and put your dreams out in front of you. If you’re away think of what you could redo and start writing down ideas.
You can also redo your Zoom background or computer wallpaper if that makes you happy.
And, redo your stuff… you may be thinking, that’s a new one!
So…I found that when I looked at each object in my house as valuable I could find a new upcycling purpose for the items if I thought about how I could creatively reuse them. Like… I had collected cute, inexpensive, one-of-a-kind trinket souvenirs you buy for fun on travel that were just sitting in a drawer and I wasn’t using them at all… so I moved them to the kitchen to be used as multiple baking supply holders.
…Plus I get to be reminded of my fun travel times. I’m sure if you look around, you can find the same. Even a minimalist can reuse a plastic jar and come up with many projects.
Since 2020, I took the opportunity to re-create more than I ever would have with plastic, grocery bags, and the stuff around me. I redid my entire pantry that’s a good place to start.
I want to be part of the solution (and maybe that’s you too). You never know… you could come up with an idea that the world could really use. We need it!
Something else fun I like to do at least a few times a year and Thanksgiving especially, is around spices….
Tip # 2. Redo your spice cabinet so you can get the anti-inflammatory benefits daily. These were some ideas I came up with from my last year’s inspired and calm Happy Thanksgiving blog post on the rainbow of spices, that may give some ideas especially if you’re getting ready to prepare your dinner.
You can “kill two birds with one stone,” as the old saying goes… organizing your spices and pulling out the ones you need.
A day before a calm Happy Thanksgiving event may be too late to change up the menu, but it’s never too late to change up your spices!
(Btw, I would quickly know I wasn’t in my kitchen when I opened up my cabinets and drawers, and didn’t see my baking supplies, spices, teas, and vitamins 🧡. And you would know if you weren’t in yours!
Aromatics are part this spice girl’s identity… well, that could be taking it just a little too far 😊. Maybe, I’ll just say they’re a big part of my daily, edible life).
And may-be that’s the healthier change you’re looking for in this upcoming season. Because what’s in front of you (and what you do daily) becomes your life.
Tip # 3. Think about what strategy you can implement in your life. I do this week-to-week. There are times when I don’t want to start a spreadsheet for everything. Batch work — yes, but not typing in everything, and also leaving room for creativity (and not feeling like a producing machine).
Moderation works in all areas of life, I think.
Finding the right-balance of real life (just making handwritten lists) vs digital life I think is part of what can make life more joyful and calm.
…In my past corporate g0-go-go and work travel years when I was usually playing catchup on the weekend, I didn’t take notice on nice-to-do personal projects. And years went by… as I started and stopped projects.
Can you relate?
Like for one, I was sporadic in blogging that started as a side project. A blog can take years to get in a rhythm, and simmer and slow cook. I missed those years.
And by the time I caught back up, the digital world had changed. And is rapidly still changing. So my point is, just starting and staying consistent can make all the difference in the world so you don’t feel gaps.
You never know all the possibilities that can happen in between…
So that’s all I have this week. Hopefully this helps you widen your field of dreams… and in the process you feel better and more whole (if anything feels missing in your life). To your calm Happy Thanksgiving! 🇺🇸 🦃