Although many Americans are still reeling from what happened on Election Day there is another very important day for Americans coming up: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is important to Americans because it is a day to forget all of our troubles and to celebrate all that we have with loved ones, whether that is friends or family. Thanksgiving was originally established as a way to give thanks for the blessing of the harvest and the preceding year. Americans may be finding it hard this year to get into the holiday spirit because of recent events in our country, including the election and the attacks on law enforcement.
One of the main reasons that Americans feel hopeless and like we have nothing to celebrate this holiday season is because of who was just elected president, however I do not agree with this pessimistic view. Although I personally did not vote for Donald Trump and do not feel that he is the best fit to run our country, I also feel that you need to find the good in everything and that there are always things to be grateful for.
If you are having a hard time figuring out what to be grateful for, then you should revert back to what your teacher made you do in elementary school: start with the basics. Even though you may not realize it, there are things that you do every day and use every day that others would kill for. For example, having a supportive group of friends and family, a house, three meals a day are all things to be grateful for. Beyond the things that we take for granted every day, we should be grateful for our country. Although many feel hopeless because of the man that was just elected president, America is an amazing country and place to live. Americans are allowed to express themselves in ways that some people can only dream of; they are allowed freedom of speech and freedom of the press in order to spread their ideas and beliefs even if they differ from the general public. I think that during what may become a dark few years in American history, everyone needs to remember that American government positions are not permanent and we will have the option to change this in four years.
Life in itself is a blessing, some days you may need to fight harder to find the good, but I am a strong believer that there is at least a little bit of good in everyday. This Thanksgiving everyone should choose to be grateful for what they do have, no matter how minuscule, because it is better than being upset about things we cannot change.
