Many Americans say Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Why? It’s an oasis of good feeling in what can be the frantic weeks of the holiday season. People give themselves permission to relax for a few hours with family and friends, share a meal, and be grateful for the bounty in their lives. If it feels so good, why don’t we do it more than once a year?

Living in a feeling of gratitude and abundance is always available to us – it’s not about the event. We live in a world of thought, old and new, along with the accompanying feelings. We decide which thoughts and feelings to dwell on and which ones to let pass through. If we believe gratitude is a special feeling reserved for rare occasions, then we won’t notice it in our day-to-day lives.

I tend to see abundance in my world rather than scarcity. It’s an orientation, a perspective I’ve come to see as normal. But I’ll admit, I’m a little deliberate about gratitude just because it feels so good. I look for it inside me every morning as soon as I wake up, and it’s always there. Sometimes, I actually feel myself smile while my eyes are still closed. So on Thursday when you settle down and let yourself slide into a peaceful, grateful moment, realize the potential for that feeling is always there. It can feel like Thanksgiving every day – even without the turkey and pumpkin pie.