Horn of Plenty: Nuts and Chews

Marilyn Monroe, photo by Ernst Bachrach

As Forrest Gump’s mother Sally Field once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

I like Thanksgiving and I’m a glass half-full kind person, so I’m picking the chocolates that I like, and with sugar-buzz-a-blazin’, here’s my “good chocolate” list—the things I’m feeling grateful for today:

Kindness rules.
I have a deep appreciation for kind people, and I adore random acts of kindness. I still smile thinking about that person in the car ahead of me who paid my bridge toll over a year ago. Just last week, an airport manicurist fixed my broken nail, free of charge. Whenever anyone holds a door open for me, they get a big “thank-you!” These acts, be they small or large, solidify my belief that people are basically good.

Young people rock.
I appreciate how the new generation is using the Internet as a tool for engagement (see Obama campaign) and as a result of their over-sharing (Facebook, Myspace, etc.) they’ve enabled ways to seed, feed and nurture communities, be of service to others and provide unheard of opportunities for bringing people together—experts, novices and visionaries alike—forging a collective intelligence that could forever change the world.

Freedom sings.
While our rights have been teetering like a model on stilettos, we still have the legal right to choose what to do with our bodies. We can speak our minds and have our voices heard through the democratic process (which actually worked this time). I am grateful to be living in a country where there’s a tsunami of renewed spirit and hope.

Art transforms.
Good art—art that resonates—feeds the soul. My quick list: music, dance, film, painting, photography, poetry and books, NPR, PBS, HBO, and the other non-commercial acronyms that provide food for thought via the airwaves. Speaking of food, food is art and the Slow Food Movement rocks my world—thank you Alice Waters and friends.

Comebacks are cool.
The new ecology movement (can I hear an amen?), dark green, bright green, light green—whatever they want to call it—is back in a real way. Hippies and techies unite to clean up and save the planet. Hallelujah!

Sensuality sings.
I’m grateful for everyday sensuality: a big cozy cashmere shawl, a hand on the small of my back, my kitty’s deep purr, the velvet voice of Ella Fitzgerald while taking a candlelit bath, Brazilian music (not waxes), robust red wine and of course chocolate.

Friends and family anchor.
I am thankful to be connected to an assortment of colorful characters—radiant beings, filled with love, kindness, caring and warmth. I know I can lean on my rock-solid community through challenging times (screw cancer!) My girlfriends make me laugh, dance and thank the angels.

The glass is full and so am I, with much to be thankful for. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends in celebration of the harvest—the upside of Thanksgiving—and an abundant life.

I hope you enjoy the holiday, and even if you never know what you’re gonna get, choose the chocolates you like best.