Good Scents
Photo credit: @khammell of Intermix Media.
Our Thanksgiving Day dinner menu this year is: turkey (Martha Stewart’s brine recipe), mash potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole (Trader Joe’s recipe), gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie (with ice cream). It’s basic, yet fancy enough for us because we only eat these foods in this combination once a year. Each of these menu items have a unique scent and anyone who enjoys eating these foods would welcome their scents like a warm hug.
Speaking of SCENTS, it especially made SENSE for us to give our teachers thoughtful pinches for Thanksgiving Day this year. We interrupt this post to give a shout out to all the teachers who are doing their best out there! THANK YOU TEACHERS!! If you want to express some thoughtfulness to teachers or any other heroes, there’s still time. I have loads of unique gift ideas that can be accessed from past posts by clicking here, here, here and here. This year for Thanksgiving we gave our teachers holiday scented essential oils. I didn’t plan this at all; in fact, the idea came to me as I was writing up the notes to accompany the little vials of oils. In the notes I wrote, “The smells of the holidays can be comforting. We thought maybe during these uncertain times, this tiny gift can provide a sense (scents) of one thing that is certain, our gratitude. Thank you for all that you do!”
I purchased a variety of holiday scented essential oils and the kids chose the scent that they thought each teacher would enjoy. I placed the vial of oil in a smaller plastic bag in case it leaked then included it with the notes in a larger clear bag. We also included some suggested uses for the oils. The larger bag was tied closed with rope or raffia.
We planned to give the teachers these SCENTS and wrote our notes before I developed a gratitude crush on Jay Shetty. There is a chapter in his book, Think Like a Monk, that is dedicated to Gratitude. When I learned about this information and data to support gratitude, I felt so much validation. I felt like I found my people and I’m glad that gratitude is not a figure of my imagination. Jay Shetty shares data that supports what I have felt for years. I wish I could share all of his quotes about gratitude but there are too many. I will choose two.
“Make your thanks as specific as possible.”
The kids told me something specific that they were grateful for about each teacher and I transcribed their thoughts onto these cute cards. To specify that Mr. Alexander’s class is engaging, will give him feedback that he is on the right track. In expressing specific gratitude, it makes the day a bit brighter for all. My daughter recognized that she is learning in a great way and Mr. Alexander is reminded that he is making a difference in someone’s life. Win-win!
As for the other quote from the book Think Like a Monk, this one is when the author is speaking about starting each day with a SENSE of gratitude.
“...you’ll be open to opportunities not obstacles. You’ll be drawn to creativity not complaint. You will find fresh ways to grow rather than succumbing to negative thoughts that only shrink your options.”
For all families, Thanksgiving 2020 COVID-style will be a challenge to celebrate in a traditional way. But one thing will remain the same I hope. Counting our blessings no matter what. It’s not about the food we eat, what our table looks like or who we share our meal with this year. The one ritual that I hope we can all make sure to keep this Thanksgiving is to say thanks for what we have.
Some of our blessings will look very different from any other year because COVID continues to:
Push our boundaries as to what we consider a good thing. Before, a virtual happy hour would never happen. After the first week of lock down, drinking at home and talking to people who were also drinking at home, using Zoom to connect was a good thing. Finding toilet paper available to purchase at a store was a reason to celebrate. Seeing a loved one thru a window instead of in person, became a blessing instead of an obstacle.
Force us to see what we take for granted. The ability to hug a loved one, walk into a store with our re-useable bags without a mask, go to school, go to a live performance, go to the gym, go to the movies, get on planes to travel wherever or whenever we want. However, consider that there are many people in other countries who are not fortunate to have these freedoms or opportunities ever and it is not because of COVID. Many of us will be able to do these things some day in the near future. The reality is that many people elsewhere will not.
Shed light on the all the essential workers in our community. Health care providers, teachers, postal workers, fire and police departments, grocery store employees, sanitation workers, those in transportation and janitorial positions, all those in the military and all those in the restaurant industry. Without all of these frontline workers, we cannot move on as a community. We should do more than label them heroes, we should be compassionate towards them and offer them better compensation. {side note: My thought is since we have to restructure everything when the economy returns, we could use this opportunity to restructure the pay scale for these essential workers and reward them for taking the brunt of all these months.}
Make businesses think hard about next steps. As our country stays home again in order to prevent further spreading of the virus, many businesses are forced to make the biggest decision they will have to make. Will the business evolve or will they close their doors? If they close their doors, will they find another way to fulfill their needs and use their talents creatively? It’s heartbreaking to think of all the businesses that have already shut down and I’m sure more will have to close after this next Stay-at-Home order. May this be a time for all businesses to become an opportunity of creative options instead of more obstacles.
At Thanksgiving this year, along with the good SCENTS of all the food that will be enjoyed at the dinner table, my hope is that we will have a good SENSE of what we are truly grateful for. If we continue to have a good SENSE of gratitude and allow the wonderful SCENTS to create new, joyful memories, there is a great chance that my family will have a happy Thanksgiving.
Pinches,
Barb
