Being Thankful during our not so great Political climate

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays of the year. Some of my earliest memories were my Mom making an incredible spread of food, and eating a lot of it, too much of it to be completely honest with you. My Thanksgiving was a little different than most because I grew up in Mexico City, my American Mother always made it a point that we knew what “our” holidays were all about. Having grown up in a very cultural diverse family, we always celebrated the Mexican Independence Day and Fourth of July, and yes, Thanksgiving as well.

This holiday always meant a lot to me because aside from eating delicious food, has always been a time to reflect on what we are thankful for. Some years have been easier than others, there have been years of joy and laughter, and other years that are a little more painful. In recent years, and as I have entered my 30s, I have learned that life isn’t always what we paint it to be, and with the rise of social media, the perfect selfies, and the idea that we only show the best side of our lives, it is easy to wonder if everyone is truly as happy as they seem.

Last Thanksgiving was one where I specifically did not feel extremely grateful for much. We had just got through the election of probably one of the most unqualified leaders ever, Donald Trump. I was still in a dark place, trying to figure out if there was even any reason to celebrate. My wife and family are what helped me hold on to the notion of gratefulness and reminded me that we need to be thankful for those we are the closest to.

And here we are again, Thanksgiving 2017, as we are getting close to the end of what has been a year that has been very difficult for me. We have seen injustice in our immigration system, rights of people being threatened because of who they love, attacks on our healthcare system, our environment and public lands at risk, the rise of white supremacists; this is only to name a few of the issues that we have had to fight as a society and that we all know will only continue and potentially get worse as we dive into 2018.

There is still much to be thankful for even in my personal life. Family and friends continue to be at the top of my mind, but I am also thankful for the sense of wokeness and the clinginess to fighting for our democracy that we have seen rise since Trump took office. I am thankful for the many new friends I have made, who a year ago were total strangers, for the groups that have come together, in spite of our general differences. While the current political climate are something that sometimes leads me down a sinkhole of depression, I remind myself that I need to cling onto those things I am grateful to and remember that ultimately, the sun still rises and it still goes down daily. That while attacks on our civil rights will continue, ultimately there is so much to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving will always be one of my favorite holidays, although I view it in a different lens as I grow older, one where I evaluate where we have come from and where we are headed to next. I believe that the idea of being thankful is something that we must remind ourselves to keep our sanity, that regardless of what has happened or how much we disagree with things, ultimately we have much to be thankful for.

As we gather around our loved ones, our families, our friends (or whoever you choose to celebrate), it should serve as a reminder that 2017 has been a rough year, but that it is also up to us to make out of it what we want. It is up to us to decide what our future holds and what we stand for as individuals, but also as a Nation and as a society. While it is easy to get upset about whatever is tweeted and said, we must remember that does not represent us as a Nation

and that we are much better than that. I am thankful for how as a society, we are not giving up without a fight, and that is what I choose to be thankful for this year.