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Thanksgiving and us - Sunanda Vashisht Sunanda Vashisht was born in the beautiful valley of Kashmir, India when Kashmir was known for its unparalleled natural beauty and not as a cauldron of fear and terror. She did most of her schooling in Delhi and dabbled with several professions before moving to U.S last year. she is currently pursuing higher studies here. she likes to introduce herself as an explorer because she wants to spend all her time in this world exploring unknown. Writing for her is a cathartic experience. She can't remember when she began writing first but she does know that writing has always helped her to be at peace with herself and with the world around her.

In the culture I grew in, there was no Thanksgiving Day celebrated. In fact I barely knew about thanksgiving until recently when I arrived in United States of America. For me Thanksgiving initially meant four much awaited for holidays when one could take a break from hectic schedule and slow down for a while. For most of my friends who are Indian Americans or NRI'S or whatever is the politically correct term to use, Thanksgiving meant hitting the malls in wee hours after the holiday and hunting for good bargains.

This Thanksgiving was slightly different at least for me. This Thanksgiving I looked at the world and things around it from a child's perspective. I recently started working with kids and this Thanksgiving they taught me a very important lesson. I learnt that what I learn from these young explorers is of far more significance than what I teach them. At the Thanksgiving feast I asked six and seven year olds to thank God for one thing that they thought was absolutely wonderful in their lives and they could not do without. I gave them 10 minutes to think silently while I closed my eyes to think about what I could thank God for. I have to admit that as soon as I began thinking, the first thoughts that came to my mind are the things that I am struggling with in my life. As my thought process kept wandering I began thinking about the dream job that I am still waiting for, the dream vacation that I haven't been able to take so far, the beautiful leather bag for 100 dollars that I have been wanting to buy for so long, the beautiful dress I saw at Lord and Taylor and never asked for the price because I didn't want to, The diamond ring, the pair of shoes, the list I have to confess went on and on.

My thought process was disrupted when one six year old raised his hand and told me that he knew his answers. Most other kids were impatient to share their answers with everyone in the class. As I listened to the answers I was both amazed and impressed with the clarity of thought these tiny children possessed. One of the kids wanted to thank his dad for the candy he had given him this morning without asking. Another child wanted to thank his mom for the tiny puppy she had just bought him. Yet another child wanted to thank God for his friends who he said he could not do without. An interesting thought came from a six year old who said that she wanted to thank God for making Computer Games. A normally silent seven-year-old said that he wanted to thank God for helping him do his homework. While hearing these answers I saw a little girl sitting quietly in the corner. She had not even raised her hand. As I finished asking everyone I turned to her and asked her if she wanted to thank someone for anything. I was really surprised to see tears in her eyes and she said softly that she wanted to thank God for keeping her safe on September 11. I was taken aback. I paused to listen. This little girl had been to World Trade Center a few weeks before the terrorist attacks and was quite obviously still in a state of shock. I proceeded to calm her and while doing so I was ashamed to even share my thoughts with these wonderful children.

I could not believe how materialistic I had become. In the 10 minutes that I had given myself to thank God for something, I was only thinking of things I did not have. I never paused to thank God for the wonderful things I had been given in life. I sat down with a heavy heart and pondered on the degradation that sets in as we land in adulthood.

Our scriptures teach us that life is nothing but a short moment of truth. Events like September 11 and many such tragic events teach us that life is short too and therefore we should live to the fullest. All of us have special things in life that we should thank God for, not only on Thanksgiving but every single day of life. These are the things that we normally take for granted. The fact that I can see the beautiful sunrises and sunsets with my eyes, the fact that I can come back home to my loving family who have given me so much to thank for, the fact that I can call my mother at 2 in the morning and she will never get mad at me for waking her up, the list really is endless. I feel thankful that I was born in the enlightened part of world where I had the freedom to chose what I wanted to do with my life. That is more than what a lot of women in the subcontinent that I come from can say for themselves. I am really thankful that I was born in India and not in Afghanistan where I would have spent 25 years of my existence saving my life from invaders both from within and without. I am really thankful that I was born in India where we have full-fledged Democracy and freedom of speech is properly exercised. I am thankful that I can write anything against anybody in power and I know there are laws to protect me. (I am really proud of the Supreme Court's decision in Jayalalitha's case). I am thankful that out of all the countries in the south-Asian subcontinent, India is the only country where people can choose the religion they want to practice and the clothes they want to wear and the films they want to see and the books they want to read. I am really thankful for all the wonderful things that I already have in my life.

This Thanksgiving, I would ask all of you to spare a moment and think about all the things that you have been given because you are so special.

A very happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Photo credits: http://www.kidsdomain.com

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