It’s fall.  The leaves are turning in Vegas, slightly, as we tend to follow the rest of the world with the transition to the end of Autumn and into Winter.  But like any time in late November, regardless of where you live, it is a time for reflection and the realization that there are many items for which we should be grateful for at this time.

First, we in education that work within schools and districts, have a career that matters.  We are going to get paid and know when and where that next paycheck is coming from.  This blessing is something that many do not have, and allows us the abilty to be as great as we can be.  Not having to worry about if we are getting paid is something that many of us probably take for granted unless we stop and think about it.

Second, we should be grateful for many things that we do not even give a second glance.  You have the ability to read these words and decipher the meaning.  Some cannot.  You have the ability to read this on a phone or computer.  Many are missing access to his message because they are not able to afford or even find a computer. 

Third, we GET to come back to our positions after the break, and if we are doing it correctly, students will be excited to come back and see us as well.  Many do not have this type of motivating factor in their lives.  Perhaps they are headed back to the assembly line, or perhaps they have no place to head back to after the break.

In the end, we can choose to rise and whine, or rise and shine, regardless of what “shine” entails and what actions that comes with.  We get to “choose our gratitude” and determine that all of us, in some capacity, have something to be thankful for during this season.  It could be your health, or the access to healthcare that will help you heal.  It could be all of the time on Earth that you have had, with great times surely sprinkled in there, as you wind down your time on the planet.  Perhaps you are simply grateful for water and air.  That would be the most basic items that we could shine a lot on personally.

Personally, I am blessed beyond anything I could imagine.  My daughters are healthy, which is always number one, followed by the fact that my wife and myself, as well as my friends and family, all seem to be healthy as well.  I am grateful for my career, which has blossomed into way more than I ever imagined and hopefully will continue to make an impact nationwide in some way over the next twelve months. I have colleagues across the nation, and some right next door in our hallway, that can never be repaid for all they have brought to my life.  I am thankful for the time I had with my dad before he passed, as many don’t get 42 years or even one day, and the lessons he taught me have served me very well. The list for me could go on and on.

Boiling it down to the basic core of the concept, we all can “choose our gratitude” with the right attitude.  It simply means stopping, looking inward in some capacity, and thinking about the one or multiple items that you couldn’t imagine not having in your life, or that you can’t possibly regret the experiences that you lived through.  In the end, it is all about perspective, and this one is more pertinent and relevant than ever.  You are blessed and I wish you a late November full of items that bring you internal and eternal gratefulness as we navigate the time we have at this point in time.  Happy Thanksgiving!