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With temperatures in the high 50’s and low 60’s these past few weeks, it’s impossible to believe Thanksgiving is already upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were winding down our beach days. I hear it everywhere I go – time is flying by. As a kid, I always heard my grandmother say that as you get older time speeds up…I must be getting old because time feels like it’s on a bullet train.
I’m finding it takes conscious intention to slow the pace down and make time each day to thoughtfully consider the things in life that really matter. Nantucket provides the perfect backdrop for this contemplation. Sitting on a harbor-front bench, walking alongside the ocean at one of the islands many beaches or simply pausing at the top of Main Street on a quiet Autumn evening, I find I can inhale a giant gulp of fresh ocean air and think of a dozen things to be grateful for as I exhale.
As I sit and gaze out my office window on this rainy fall day, I find myself grateful to live in a place that’s a bit removed from the rest of the world. People stop to chat on the sidewalk outside, the remaining leaves slowly tumble from their branches, and window-boxes are adorned with pumpkins, gourds and baby squash in preparation for the upcoming holiday celebration. I’m grateful to live in a peaceful storybook setting. I’m thankful for friends and neighbors willing to crawl into the trenches on the tough days and gather around the dinner table to toast the good days. I’m reminded to give thanks for the big things – good health, happy well-adjusted kids and grandkids and pockets of time to spend with all of them. Appreciative to have a job…and co-workers, colleagues and clients who make it fun to come to work each day. Very lucky to have a spouse who makes me laugh and still calls me his best friend after 25 years. Thankful too for the little things – a walk on the beach at Cisco, a Nantucket starlit sky, the birds chirping good morning just as the day dawns.
This Thanksgiving week gives all of us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the good things in our life, to gather with friends and family to celebrate these blessings and to prioritize what’s important. I’ll bet you have a long list of your own reasons to be grateful. I heard numerous stories from clients and friends these past few months about surviving cancer and overcoming illness, relationships being healed and new jobs being secured “just in time.” This time of year reminds us that anything is possible.
As you gather with your friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, be sure to slow the pace down and raise a glass to our beloved Nantucket. Recall fond memories shared with friends and loved ones, enjoy a few good laughs and make plans for your next Thanksgiving on Nantucket.
Give Thanks!
Shellie Dunlap
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