I wake up to the stinging sensation in my throat every time I swallow. Getting out of my bed seems so taxing. Even when I eventually manage to get myself up, my head feels as though it has grown twice as heavy overnight.
In my case, it is evident what caused my sickness: I spent the week stressed due to excessive amounts of homework and SAT studying, I had consumed unhealthy foods and drinks, and both the overworking and sugar consumption contributed to insufficient amounts of sleep.
No one likes feeling drained or hurt every time they take a step or swallow. And yet, I doubt that every day we are healthy, we think to ourselves, “I’m glad I am healthy today,” or “I’m glad my throat isn’t hurting.”
Our bodies are an entity of their own, systematically designed to communicate their needs to us. On the surface, it is telling me today that I haven’t been taking care of my body, exhausting it to its limit with poor nutrition and inadequate rest. But furthermore, it serves as a reminder to appreciate every day I wake up feeling healthy.
As my seventeenth year of life is approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot about of the things I’m grateful for. It’s easy to get caught up in day to day life and be so focused on what could be in the future and less about what is happening now. It’s easy to take things for granted, and it’s human nature really. Living life sort of slowly in a way helps to appreciate it better. Looking at simple things in a different light and appreciating its beauty is something that I’ve grown to make a habit of. I love so many things and I have a lot more to give for the rest of my life. I know I cannot make much of a striking difference in this world but I do know that I love. I’m grateful for having a life of health with beautiful family and friends. Social media prompts and conditions us to always wanting more. Maybe something material, or an unrealistic life that we simply just cannot lead. We have to look at what we have.
A vegan Thanksgiving is more sustainable and animal cruelty free. Supporting semen being sucked out with a straw from 46 million male turkeys’ anuses each year is cruel. But having Thanksgiving at all is not necessarily cruelty free. The only ethical way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to spend it educating yourself on indigenous rights.
“Happy Thanksgiving” I am so thankful for the Native Americans who continue to fight for their rights, their lands, refuse to abide by the societal expectations of pretending nothing terrible happened to their ancestors on this holiday.
As we are having a beautiful Thanksgiving feast with our families and friends, remember that today is a national day of mourning for native Americans across the country. So while you’re thinking, “wow, this holiday is so incredible and based upon gratefulness and love between humans,” please don’t forget that thousands upon thousands of Native Americans have been brutally murdered in cold blood (partly) for their lands by white colonizers.
And this question shocks me… but how many people across the country will celebrate Thanksgiving today having never even engaged with or met a native person, can’t name five tribes, can’t name the tribe whose lands they occupy or even can’t name a living native person?
So… why not celebrate gratitude daily? It is one of the most important self-care practices a person can do. Daily practices rather than on just one day covered by blood which is just another white supremacist holiday. I’m not saying we should completely cut Thanksgiving from our yearly tradition but being less arrogant and realizing what this holiday truly represents. Being “woke” can be very emotionally taxing and difficult to talk about; but it’s worth doing the right thing rather than taking the easy way out and staying silent.
Ignorance is not bliss. Even though it would be much easier not to post about these topics and just pretend today is a wonderful day of giving thanks…like everyone else does… so I don’t hurt any proud Americans’ feelings. If you’re not speaking the truth, you’re part of the problem.
So bon appétit, but don’t forget! As we celebrate thanks, for Native Americans Thanksgiving is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the assault on their culture and history of colonial violence.
OVS Journalism Blog 
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