Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving Time

This week’s post is different. It’s not about travel or about my blog. It’s about me and how I am giving thanks at Thanksgiving time.

As I was contemplating what to write for this post, I couldn’t stop thinking about the American Thanksgiving holiday this week. It is always the fourth Thursday of November and falls on November 26 this year.

If you are not familiar with this American holiday, Thanksgiving is the day for celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. It is believed that this holiday is based on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. You can read more about the origin of Thanksgiving here.

Due to current Covid restrictions, we won’t be celebrating with our family or friends as we normally do. That hits hard but I’m willing to sacrifice the holiday gathering for the safety of everyone.

I thought one way of commemorating the traditional holiday is to use this blog post to reflect and share what I’m thankful for. Even though this has been a difficult year for everyone around the globe, I believe each of us has a lot to be thankful for.

So this article is a more personal one that will let you know me better but hopefully also help YOU to find reasons to be THANKFUL.

My Health

I turned 58 in September and am very healthy in my opinion (knock on wood). I stay active with walking, hiking, and exercising almost every day of the week.

I don’t take any medications and am currently not taking any supplements or vitamins. I took Juice+ pills for the last 20 years but have now stopped. I’ve taken iron supplements in the past but don’t need them anymore. It feels good to not have any substances in my body other than food and drink.

Speaking of food, I try to maintain a balanced diet with very little sugar and carbohydrates. My partner and I have been doing the Keto diet on and off for the last few years. We also do intermittent fasting regularly. We eat an early dinner and don’t eat anything the next day until 1 or 2 pm. I believe these life choices are helping my health. I seem to have tons of energy and enjoy moving my body. I’m very thankful that I have good health and hope it continues for a long time.

Family and Friends

Who can’t be thankful for dear family and friends? They are the core of my being, and I couldn’t imagine life without them. I have my grown daughters relatively close to me but the rest of my family is far away in the U.S. I try to talk to them often and see them on video chats. Covid has encouraged us to communicate more often since we can’t visit in person.

Since earlier this year, my partner started having weekly video chats with his mother, brother, and sister, who all live in Australia. Even if they don’t have much to say, I’m sure it’s comforting to all of them to see each other on a regular basis. Technology is a lifesaver when it comes to feeling close when you are far away.

When it comes to friends, I have a few close friends back in the U.S. but spend most of my time with the friends I’ve made in Switzerland. I love entertaining and having many friends over for dinner. It is a lot of work but a love of labor for me.

It has been hard this year not being able to get together regularly with friends. We had some outdoor parties when the weather was warm but are now discouraged from being inside with too many people. I look forward to the day when we can be numerous without wearing masks.

All of these restrictions have taught me the privilege of having good friends and being able to spend time with them. I am thankful for those people in my life who bring me joy and make me laugh.

Comfortable Lifestyle

I have never been wealthy but I believe I have a comfortable lifestyle. I was fortunate to have a formal education and a rewarding career for 35 years until I began early retirement two years ago.

I never imagined stopping to work at this age, but I am grateful that I can and still have a comfortable lifestyle. I’ve made a conscious effort the last two years to become more of a minimalist and reduce my expenses.

I gave up having a car and don’t miss it at all. I have an electric bike and can use public transportation if necessary. I stopped buying *things* just to have new material things. We cut down on eating out at restaurants. Instead, I’ve found a new joy in cooking meals at home.

Like many people this year, we’ve spent almost nothing on vacations and travel. I’m thankful we were able to go on a handful of local trips and weekend getaways. Because we have had less travel, I seem to appreciate it more.

If you’d like to read about some of our vacations in Switzerland this year, check out the below posts.

• Best Gorge Hikes in Switzerland
• Want to know the Secret Spots in Switzerland?
• Cool Things to See in Flims Switzerland
• Spring in Switzerland
• Biking the Heart Route in Switzerland
• 9 Activities Not To Miss in Switzerland
• 3 Day Itinerary in Ticino Switzerland
• 5 Lakes Walk in Zermatt Switzerland – a Must-Do!
• 9 Top Spots near Interlaken Switzerland
• E-Biking in Switzerland
• Discover Adelboden Switzerland in Summer
• What to See in Meiringen Switzerland
• Unexpected Excursions in Lugano
• Best of Appenzell Switzerland
• Awesome Autumn in the Swiss Vineyards
• Schynigge Platte Things to Do
• 2 Days in Basel Switzerland
• Pizol 5 Lakes Hike
• Switzerland Destination Page

Even when we can travel freely again, I will economize much more than I have in the past. It will be a new challenge to see how to have fun vacations without spending too much money.

One lesson I’ve learned over the years is that ‘Money doesn’t buy happiness’. Money can buy you objects and experiences, but it’s only yourself who can choose to be happy. Some of the richest people in the world are the most unhappy. I’m thankful I can find my happiness with my simple but comfortable lifestyle.

My Hobbies and Interests

Since I stopped working professionally, I’ve had plenty of time to rediscover my true interests and passions. I’m thankful that I have found activities that bring me great joy.

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I absolutely love taking pictures, even with my iPhone, which I use most of the time due to its ease. As I walk in nature very often, I find plenty of photo opportunities. I enjoy immensely composing the picture, editing it, and then sharing the beauty with others. If you’d like to see all my photos, I post regularly on my Instagram account.

I am thankful for learning new things like how to create this blog and website. Having my own Travel Blog is a great accomplishment for me. I’ve learned so much and am still learning every day.

I’ve taken my own advice from my blog post on ‘20 Things You Can Do In 2020‘ and managed to stay busy and entertained during the Covid lockdowns this year.

There are many hobbies I still want to practice and improve such as piano and painting. I’m thankful that I’m able to have free time to do activities that make me happy.

New Beginnings

My last topic of what I’m thankful for is what I call new beginnings. If you are one of my email subscribers, you will already know what I’m talking about. This ‘beginning’ is the new house that we’ve recently purchased and will move into early January 2021. I’m very excited about having my own place after renting homes for several years now. I’m thankful that we were financially able to make this investment in our future.

Another new beginning will be the future pets that I hope to adopt next year. Since we will have our own home, we can finally get a dog that I’ve been wanting for a long time. I would also like to have a cat. I’m a real animal lover at heart. Now that our children are grown up, I’m ready to start a new fur family!

The best new beginning that the whole world can be thankful for is the end of the Covid pandemic with a promising vaccine in 2021. Whether you personally take it or not is your decision but hopefully, it will allow us to be more mobile. I can’t say that we will return to normal life because I believe life will never be ‘normal’ again.

I hope that we’ve all learned some valuable lessons during this pandemic that will improve our lives and make our world a better place going forward. We should never take our freedom for granted. We should be grateful to visit our loved ones and give them heartful hugs. We should appreciate the chance to travel, explore, and enjoy this beautiful world. I am thankful we will soon have this new beginning.

Summary

So with all this said, I’d like to wish my American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! We don’t need a national holiday to be thankful, but it does encourage us to reflect and give thanks. Gratitude is good for the soul. I try to spend a few minutes each day thinking about what I’m grateful for.

I’m grateful for YOU and that you are reading this blog post! Thank you!

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