My Journey With Health And Fitness – A Time To Be Thankful

Yesterday it was Thankgiving in Canada. One of our friends in Playa found a restaurant that was offering a fixed price Canadian Thanksgiving dinner for a group of us to go to. Yes, Thanksgiving dinner in Mexico. It actually wasn’t bad at all and we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts and gravy. We all seeemed to have a great time and I am really glad that we decided to join in.

This time of year is always hard for me. 10 years ago we were spending our last few days with Mom before she passed. 8 years ago I went through a horrible time when both my siblings ended up in the ICU at 2 different health issues. While at times they were in critical condition they both survived. I am always anxious when the FaceBook posts of what was going going during both those times. I try really hard to find the things I am thankful despite the time of year just to put a positive spin on it all.

I realize that with everything going on in the world many people would struggle to find something they are thankful for. I harken back to when I was a kid and Dad would bring some lonely (usually poor) person home for holiday dinners. He would always remind us that no matter how bad things were, there was someone out there that has it worse.

There’s always the easy thing to be thank you for. We have amazing friends both at home and here. I still have friends I met from around the world that I correspond with. I’ve been married to my best friend for over 33 years. While I wouldn’t say we are well off, we don’t have to worry about how we will pay the bills. We also have enough that we are able to subsidize my sister when needed. I guess those are pretty important things.

I’ve come to realize that the work I do as a volunteer really allows me to look at things a bit different. I deal with seniors who are getting by only because they live in subsidized housing. I facilitate a caregivers’ support group where I hear the stories of what these people are going through taking care of their loved ones and I marvel at how they can keep going. I listen to the stories of the people in my community and how affordability is destroying people. My heart breaks hearing about people in need who can’t find the resources to get help.

And so I am thankful that I get to be part of an activist community that is trying to make a difference for others. I think that might be what I am most thankful for.