A Conversation About Being Thankful!

Change is the one constant in human existence. Good things happen, then go away. Bad things happen, then they also go away. Through it all, we should remain thankful.

I’m sure you’re thinking “of course I’m thankful!”, or “what should I be thankful for, a crappy life?!” Yes, I understand the sentiments… deeply. I’m not saying that you are not already thankful for what you have, or that you should just settle. I’m also not saying that things are ideal, or the way you want them to be. What I am saying is that you should use thankfulness to sift through the challenges of your situation and find the good things you can build on. It requires a mental shift and a conscious effort to push aside the despair to keep your own potential clear in your mind’s eye.

So, how do you do that? Let me present some ways I’ve used to keep myself grounded in thankfulness.

I know many say it’s a low bar but begin by being thankful that you are alive and have your health. After two years of COVID-19, I think being thankful for being alive and having your health is a big deal. Many didn’t make it to 2021, or 2022, and many won’t make it to 2023. We will miss them. We will miss their potential for good, and for their positive impact on our lives.

As an asthmatic that has actually died (not really, but my heart and breathing did stop for a bit), because of my disease, I can tell you I do not take my time on this earth for granted anymore. I minimize the sources of my stress and work to bring joy into my life every day. Having gone through what I have – chest compressions and a breathing tube – I can honestly tell you that NOTHING is worth getting stressed out over. Most things in life can be fixed with help from others. So, keep in mind that if your health is good, be thankful.

Work is another thing we should be thankful for. As part-time faculty, security of employment is always a challenge, so when you do have work, be thankful. It is a place from which to build. At the very least it helps you sustain yourself and your family. Having a job provides you with the foundation to look for other work. It gives you the opportunity to connect with others, which is important because human beings thrive in community.

A job allows you to try out new ideas and methods and gain some focus on what your next steps should be. Financial instability takes all your creative energies. It feels like a heavy wool blanket on your mind. It clouds and ties you, dampening your creative potential. Having a job, even for just one academic session, can be used to build from, so be thankful.

Being thankful also allows you to see opportunities that are worthy of your time and energies. Being thankful reminds you of what you have, what you don’t and what you have endured to be where you are now. Having this insight gives you the perspective to determine who and what is deserving of your talents and energies. It informs your next steps – entrepreneurship, alternative academic careers, etc. Being thankful allows you to take account of all that you’ve gone through. Learn from it and grow in a new direction.

The job market hasn’t changed much over the past 25 years. I often hear people struggling in difficult work situations. The leadership of many academic units is poor at best, and toxic at worse. Part time faculty often bear the brunt of both scenarios. This situation makes it hard to sift through the muck and see what you should be thankful for. I’ve been there… stuck in that muck. It took a lot of emotional energy to get myself unstuck. I reached out for help and was thankful to receive it. It came in different ways, but it did come.

Remember, you are an accomplished scholar. You are committed to your craft. You are learning different ways to bring this genius to life in areas inside and outside academia. Nothing you’ve done was a waste of time. Sometimes you should remember to pause, reflect, be thankful, and find a new direction.

This Thanksgiving Day, please take the time to review your life until now. Outline your accomplishments, your shortfalls, your dreams, and see which parts you can acknowledge out loud and be thankful for. Let me know how it goes.