gfghfhhfh
fhfhfhhf
Charles Dickens said, “Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
dhdhddgfggfggfgfhhdhhd
For several years, I have begun to regard Thanksgiving as my favorite holiday. I can’t say when Thanksgiving eclipsed Christmas as my favorite holiday, but I can say that the commercialization of Christmas factored in that decision.
Christmas now seems to focus on commercialization and purchasing perfect presents. Thanksgiving has always been and remains a time of reflection and Thanksgiving.
In today’s social media-driven environment, many people tend to create unrealistic expectations based on the lifestyles of media “Influencers.” These media-fueled lifestyles have very little in common with the actual lifestyles that most people experience. Problems occur when people fail to realize that the lifestyles of these influencers are artificial and do not reflect the actual life experiences of most people.
Christmas seems to feed on this insecurity and prompts people to spend more on gifts and meaningless presents instead of time creating new experiences with those they love.
Because of this feeling, I lean towards Thanksgiving. A factor in this decision may be that I am getting older and realize that I don’t need more “things.” Creating experiences with family is now more important than purchasing more things.
And so, for me, Thanksgiving has become just that. Thanksgiving has become a time to give thanks for all the blessings I receive throughout the year and a period to spend time with family to create new memories.
I use Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on all of the good things that have happened during the year and to put aside those less joyful occasions that most people experience at some point each year.
fjjhfhhjfjfjh
What Do I Have to be Grateful for This Year?
*My wife and I are both still healthy and functionally normal. Do we have little scrapes and bruises? We certainly do! But for the most part, we are healthy and try to ignore the little aches and pains associated with aging.
*We bought a bigger house in an upscale neighborhood. I have recently written several blogs about our experiences in financing and purchasing a larger home. We are grateful that we have almost finished “moving” into our new home and are beginning to live our lives in our new environment. Moving into a different house in a new neighborhood allows us to create new experiences and develop new friendships.
*We anticipate the birth of a new grandchild– Our fifth grandchild arrives later this year. The birth of this grandchild will mean we’ll have four grandchildren under the age of four.
*We were able to take several trips– my wife and I were able to take several trips this year. These trips were with friends, trips alone as a couple, and trips with family. We understand we will not be able to travel at the same intensity or may not desire to do so at some future point. We are happy to continue to travel as long as we are physically able.
*My Net Worth has increased because of good stock market returns– even with ongoing withdrawals, our net worth has increased. This increase represents the combination of an aggressive asset mix and favorable market returns. Increases don’t usually happen every year, so we’ll enjoy having the wind at our backs as long as it lasts.
*We met new neighbors and made new friends– our home purchase has allowed us to make new friends and reconnect with old friends who live in our new neighborhood.
*Being able to pay cash for our home allows our daughter and family to live in our existing patio home until their construction is complete– having the financial assets for the cash purchase of our new house has also allowed us to delay the sale of our existing patio home until our daughter, her husband, and their daughters complete the construction of and move into their new home.
*Moving has given us a way to declutter and reevaluate what’s important to us– we decluttered 10 years ago when we moved into our smaller patio home. Our recent move has allowed us to tackle the process of decluttering again. Though we had fewer things, we still had items to discard and donate.
*We have a list of new projects to complete– for better or worse, our new home has created a whole new list of projects that need completion- having things to do is good, but having too many things to do is frustrating! We are trying to eliminate projects at an orderly and sustainable pace.
*The Retiring With Enough blog and podcast have been a resounding success– with ZERO advertising or promotion, the Retiring With Enough blog and podcast currently have followers in 54 countries. With 195 recognized countries in the world, the blog and podcast have followers in about one-third of all countries in the world. I am pleased with the progress of the blog and podcast in the last two years.
dhfhhfg
Final Thoughts
These are samples of the many things in our lives for which we are grateful. There are many more that won’t be listed here.
It’s easy to focus on the few things in life that go wrong and forget the numerous things that go right!
Please take time during the busy holiday season to consider the personal freedom and blessings we enjoy. Many times it’s easier to see a glass half empty than half full. When I awaken each morning, I think of three things for which I am grateful. I try to remember all the blessings bestowed on our family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
ffjfjjjfj
jffjnjfhjhjf
If you’d like to be a part of a free online retirement community, join us on Facebook:
COMMENTS