I’m a big fan of Webdancers blog and it turns out they are also big fans of Seth Godin. Seth has made a document available to all of us called the Thanksgiving Reader. Please read below the email Webdancers shared in their enewsletter this week. I couldn’t have written it better myself! (And yes, I’ll be sharing this over Thanksgiving dinner with my friends.)
Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday. Most of the others have some particular emotion attached to them: patriotism on July 4th, sentiment on Mother’s Day, respect on Veteran’s Day and who-knows-what on Christmas. Thanksgiving is so much more straightforward. Sit down to a nice meal with friends and family and be thankful for what you have.
This year, I want to share with you a lovely idea from Seth Godin, in the form of a downloadable document called The Thanksgiving Reader. Here’s how it works:
The idea is simple: At your Thanksgiving celebration, consider going around the table and having each person read a section aloud.
Before the meal starts, all you need to do is put one page on each person’s chair and follow the simple steps.
During the ten or fifteen minutes your family spends reading together, millions of people will all be reading the same words, thinking about the same issues, connecting with each other over the essence of what we celebrate.
Here are some suggested questions from the Reader to keep the conversation going around your Thanksgiving table:
- What’s the value of gratitude? Why does it even matter?
- Why aren’t people, especially Americans, more grateful?
- What can we do to feel grateful the other 364 days of the year?
- Are older people more grateful than younger people? Or is it the reverse?
- We all know the value of connections, but where did the barriers come from and what can we do to topple them?
- Who’s the most grateful person you know? Who’s your gratitude role model?
- What is something—a conversation, advice you received, etc.—you became grateful for only well after it occurred? Why did it take you so long?
- Have you lived a life that deserves gratitude from others?
Download The Thanksgiving Reader and have a happy Thanksgiving!
