Grateful that I can look back on my time on this planet and see a series of connected ‘coincidences’ that are leading to a future better than I can even imagine

Grateful that I can look back on my time on this planet and see a series of connected ‘coincidences’ that are leading to a future better than I can even imagine. The constituents of every little thing I enjoy in my everyday life were carefully produced by Nature over billions of years and were fashioned into useful or joyful things by other human beings. People no different from you or me in many respects. Grateful to be an Indian-American and to be alive in 2018 AD instead of any other time in history. My cultural identity is rooted in my family tree that found a way to make it to the Land of Opportunity before I was born, the Natives who roamed these lands for millennia, and the pioneering ethos of America that established the National Park Service. Throughout my twenties, I’ve been fortunate to experience some of what was described in the Vedas, some sacred ceremonies of the Natives, and to be pursuing my version of the American Dream. Grateful to have experienced the heaviness of the seafloor and the euphoria of the summit. These experiences have made it possible for me to empathically relate to nearly everyone I meet, even people who may not like me or agree with me. It puts the biggest smile on my face to be able to See the unity in the diversity, to Hear the order in the chaos, to Feel the perfection in the paradox. That I, too, can contribute to this collective creation we call ‘civilization’ if I can continue to cultivate the courage and compassion to overcome these mountains before me and within me. Thanks for reading, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! :)