The Gratitude Challenge

When I was young I was the pickiest eater you could find. My mom would constantly tell me to finish my plate because there were people with nothing to eat. She’d tell me how lucky I was to be in school because there were children who dream about setting foot into a classroom. And being the little rascal I was, I would just nod my head and sneakily scoop my dinner into a napkin on my lap. I couldn’t grasp what she meant; I had no connections to these “hypothetical” people my mom was referring to.

Over the years I met some incredible people who have changed my perspective and priorities. It’s little eleven-year-old Israela, my friend from Mexico, who motivates me to get my sleepy butt to class every morning. She was willing to leave her family and spend five days a week in an orphanage just to finish primary school. It’s supermom Esperanza, mother of three, who taught me the prevalence of hunger in the world. These heroines aren’t just figures in my mother’s mind, they are my friends and they are people with hopes, dreams, feelings, and value.

Thanksgiving is a time for us to sit down and count our blessings. We typically list off the generate (yet still valued) family, friends, health, etc. We stay in “puddle” surface area instead of diving into the deeper “ocean” thoughts. But I challenge you to think harder.

This year I chose to empathize with the nearly 3 billion (nearly half of the world!) that live on less than $2.50 a day. With the 22 000 children that die every day due to poverty. With the countless civilians who were unlucky enough to have been born into a war-torn area. With the homeless men and women begging just down the street from me.

I’ve come up with a Thanksgiving or gratitude challenge. I want you to list just one thing you are grateful for. Think of a personal reflection for why you are grateful. Contextualize it in a locally or globally. Then find a resource for someone else who wants to learn more or do something about it. Then post it on your social media. Don’t forget to challenge your friends to do the same!

For example,

“This Thanksgiving I am grateful for my childhood. I was free to learn, play, and grow at my own pace. Unfortunately there are over 168 million child laborers in the world today. These children, and many more, are forced to grow up much too soon. Want to do something about that? Learn more at: http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm#a2”

Let’s put our social media and turkey dinners to a greater purpose! I’d love to hear what you’re grateful for this season.

Lots of love,

Meagan <3