I do not have any special rush of feelings or memories as I attend to whatever Thanksgiving events come my way. I am grateful moment-by-moment and that perspective strengthens day-by-day. I am grateful for all the people who have learned to be deeply happy. They spread happiness in the same way that grouches spread grouchiness and angry people spread anger.
For me, the happiness did not come easily, nor did it begin early. I was almost 50 before “my” serotonin levels were normalized. That’s when I started working on learning to understand experience differently. I got lucky. I am happy to be a work in progress — welcome to that club — 20 years later and I live in gratitude for this opportunity rooted in more conditions than I am capable of knowing, most of which I have zero control over.
In August, I got arrested for the first time for sitting on the sidewalk in front of the White House. That was part of the Tar Sands action you may have heard about. Since then, I have participated in other actions relating to the Tar Sands and to hydrofracking. I am amazed that these actions have had some seeming success in a relatively short time.
On the bus trip down to DC for the most recent Tar Sands action I met someone who belonged to the New Paltz Climate Action Coalition (CAC). He invited me to come to a meeting. I have been to two meetings and this week I will be talking with someone in the New York State Department of Conservation Climate Change Office. I didn’t even know such an office existed three days ago. I am grateful that the members of the CAC have been working together long enough for me to join them. Thank you. And that’s what I will be reflecting on this Thanksgiving. I am grateful that change is possible and, to some extent, directable; that I was lucky enough to be born a privileged American — not because of wealth, but because I was not among the most widely persecuted ethnic, religious, gender or sexual orientation group; that social and political dissent is not being met with machine guns. I have enough food, shelter, and clothing — not for the wares on offer in the Sunday New York Times Magazine, but enough, which to many of our brothers and sisters would seem like luxury. That there is still time to foster connectedness over profits, although the history of our species indicates there will be great unwise, unnecessary, self-inflicted suffering along the way. Mixed bag, as always.
May you feel gratitude this Thanksgiving. May you be employed in ventures which provide material and interpersonal nourishment. May you be happy.
Steve Kohn
Highland
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