To Feel _____ is a Blessing
On an unexpectedly cold fall day, a gust of wind blew across my face, jostling my scarf in its tumultuous path. And for that, I was thankful. Thankful to be able to feel. Thankful for my scarf. Thankful that I was less than 100 feet away from a warm apartment. Thankful to be alive.
I recently attended a retreat where a speaker highlighted that unbeknownst to most, indifference is one of the worst states to be in. Indifference is numbing: the total opposite of feeling. In a world filled with sadness and pain yet tinted with skies of hope and cheerful sun rays—different things to feel and experience—we cannot afford not to feel, not to care. We should avoid becoming indifferent. We should strive to allow ourselves to feel: the good, the bad, and the gusty. We feel because we care.
How can we move forward if we are not moved?
Being thankful is rejecting indifference and embracing the gift that is the present. A present moment of discomfort reminds us of our human nature—that we fall, that we struggle, and that we are capable of feeling. When I find errors in my writing (even after hitting ‘send’ on an email), I start to feel disappointed. They’ll think that I didn’t care enough to check for edits. At first, I allow myself to feel the disappointment. Then, by embracing that I make mistakes, I shift my focus into a positive, constructive thought. That I feel disappointed is that I care, a lot.
Whether you are flooded with work assignments or struggling to find meaning in your work or life, the act of rejecting indifference means being thankful for reflective moments that catapult you towards change. Allow yourself to feel and to listen to the calls for action within you. When we avoid indifference, we address our human fragility with grace and a hopeful mindset. To err is human, to feel is golden. To feel anything at all is a blessing in itself.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the moments that have allowed me to embrace my human nature yet challenged me to persevere against life’s gusts of wind. Though my face was slightly numb on that frigid, windy day, I certainly was not numb to the fact that I was cold, uncomfortable, but blessed with human fragility and much more. And for that, I am so thankful.
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Sophie-Anne spent part of her childhood in Haiti and later moved to the United States. She earned her undergraduate degree from Nova Southeastern University and her graduate degree from GWU in DC. After working in the international development sector for a few years, she transitioned into working in the public sector as an international economics professional. Beyond her “9 to 5,” she enjoys curating her platform @thrivebeyond5, trying new recipes, and offering pro-bono consulting for her sister’s fashion line: Rielli.