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THANKSGIVING, MEET DELIGHT

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I think most of us have practiced the beloved Thanksgiving tradition of going around the table, sharing something for which we’re thankful, while gravy congeals on our turkey.

Because I have a mom that loves table-based bonding experiences, I’ve been announcing Thanksgiving Day gratitude for as long as I can remember. Results vary. We’ve had years with lots of groaning, years of laughing until we cried (or peed!), years of actual crying. Once, my best friend’s brother shared gratitude that his dad had been traveling for work less, was home more. He was so earnest and glad. The memory still constricts my heart.

Sharing gratitude at Thanksgiving is a great idea. It is, I believe, the point.

However, if you’re seeking something a little different this year, or if you’d like to add onto your thanks in a slightly different way, allow me to recommend:

 

 

the jar of delights

a game I made up, inspired by the wonderful Catherine Price.

 

 

In its simplest iteration, Jar of Delights is a shifted gratitude practice. Instead of announcing something for which you’re grateful this Thanksgiving, ask that everyone share one thing that recently delighted them.

Some guiding philosophies:
  • Magnitude does not matter. One of my more recent delights was finding a big dish full of water along a walking path on a hot day. The dish was meant for dogs. I didn’t have my dog! I’m smiling, right now, thinking about it.
  • Specificity does matter. There’s a difference between what I wrote above and something like, “I was recently delighted by a dog dish.” Try to dig into the memory and share key details. Give yourself the gift of living that moment anew!
  • There are no wrong answers. Delight is personal, it’s random. Like gratitude, we can’t always explain it. That’s a-okay.

 

Jar of Delights also has “super fun table game” potential. It works very simply.

  1. Find a sizable jar (or bowl, or Tupperware, or any kind of container that can hold scraps of paper).
  2. Place your “jar” somewhere central to your gathering.
  3. Cut up some strips of blank paper, or use these helpful prompts I created for you!
  4. Request that everyone write 1-3 delights and drop them into the jar, ideally prior to the actual eating.
  5. At dinner, pass the jar around the table. Each person picks out one piece of paper and shares it aloud.
  6. For extra fun: take guesses at who wrote what. Or simply indulge in the pile of delights around you this holiday.

 

Wishing you gratitude and delight this week and always. (And for what it’s worth: the next letter will be revisiting friction. So, come on back!)

 

love + 🦃,
Anna from Pidge Post

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