Today is Thanksgiving and I thought of something I wanted to say today about gratitude. This year, Thanksgiving is peppered with a little bit of angst and even resentment as many of us aren’t able to celebrate the way we normally would because of COVID. Even last night, I was lamenting the fact that I wouldn’t get to be with my mom on Thanksgiving (part of that had to do with the fact that I had to make the pies that she normally brings haha)! But this morning, I had a thought, and this is something that many of us have probably heard.

Instead of saying, “I have to,” say, ” I get to.”

Instead of, “I have to be away from family this Thanksgiving,” say, “I get to keep family safe and healthy,” or, “I get to have a small. cozy Thanksgiving this year.”

Instead of, “I have to make the pies that my mom normally makes,” say, “I get to try something new.”

Instead of, “I have to do all the cooking this year,” say, “I get to provide a good meal for my family,” or, “I get to eat while some people don’t.”

Instead of, “I have a big mess to clean up after this meal,” say, “I get to to clean up from a great celebration.”

Instead of, “I am having a lonely Thanksgiving,” say, “I get to have a peaceful, low key Thanksgiving.”

Gratitude is a matter of perspective, in my opinion. I have had to learn this the hard way as I have battled through some mighty tough obstacles in my life. “Having to” is an obligation, a chore, a duty. “Getting to” is an opportunity, a chance, a possibility.

This Thanksgiving, and as we continue to live through the era of coronavirus, please join me in “getting to” instead of “having to.”