A Radical Proposition

With Thanksgiving week upon us, I return back to one of the writers that connects me to my deepest levels of gratitude: Robin Wall Kimmerer, mother, scientist, decorated professor, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Kimmerer writes, “while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. Gratitude cultivates an ethic of fullness, but the economy needs emptiness.”

While I am all for scoring a deal, I often roll my eyes at the unmet desires perpetuated by Black Friday that are directly at odds with the abundance and fullness we are meant to cultivate during Thanksgiving.

Kimmerer continues, ”We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back.”

So despite my resentment of participating in the economy of scarcity, I fill my virtual cart along with everyone else. But I try to remember that this exchange is not about the money I spend nor what gift in particular I will give this holiday season. Rather, it is our work and our joy to pass along the gift, whatever form it takes.

And should this resonate with you, maybe you choose to give the gift of travel to a friend while I’m offering a discount this week on my retreat to Panama.