....because of dare
it's november. so of course i like seeing all of the thankful posts, the gratefulness, the contentedness with what we have. but i also think november is a reminder. a reminder that there are eleven other months. 335 other days to give thanks to, to be thankful for. today i challenge you to take the '30 days of thankfulness' facebook and instagram posts and turn it 365 days. turn it into a year of thankfulness. a year of appreciation. there is something to be thankful for every.single.day. i challenge you to reflect daily on the abundance you have in your life. pay attention to what that feels like. and i challenge you to give thanks to the people that deserve it. say it in words, say it in actions. keep it simple or make it special. but whatever you do, say it often. and with december just one short month away, i challenge you to not give in to the consumerism. the commercials will tell us to buy, buy, buy. to spend our thanksgiving day planning out how to make the most out of black friday. i will be the first to say that presents are nice, that giving is nice, that material items are also nice. but after a month of giving thanks, why not also remember what december and christmas are all about? of course they may mean different things to different people, but i hope that it hasn't become synonymous with presents. and if you are going to give gifts this holiday season, why not do it a new way? why not participate in giving trees, adopt a family for christmas, or provide gifts to children who will be spending their holidays in a shelter? why not do something for families who don't have enough food to eat, or enough money to pay their electric bill? why not buy gifts that are environmentally conscious? that mean more than money spent?
make this holiday season about thankfulness. about family. make it about love. make it about your religion or faith. make it about time spent. i dare you to start a new christmas tradition. to give in a new way.
i have a couple of ideas brewing about alternative gift giving this holiday season...check back soon for some updates and information on how you can help :)