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Hi, welcome to Sj's Pep Talks. Today's topic is "Give Thanks." Yeah, give thanks. Give
thanks for all the things in your life. (Breath) First, that you're alive. That you're here
watching the YouTube. (laugh) A couple of years ago, I was lying in bed, first thing
in the morning, and it came to me, "Hey, Sj, give thanks! Give thanks for your Mom and
Dad." I thought, "Okay, thanks Mom and Dad, without you, I wouldn't be alive." And next
came my siblings, and my husband, and my dog, and my friends, and my cousins. And it just
started going out. And then I gave thanks for things. I love having a roof over my head.
It's really nice. And for food. I'm very thankful for food. And I'm thankful I have teeth to
eat the food. And a mouth that can drink a smoothie. And I noticed that when I started
my day that way, I started looking at all the things. "Wow, tomorrow I can remember
to give thanks for that." (laugh) And kept doing it, and I kept doing it because it was
fun. And it felt good. Then one day I woke up, and I realized, "Oh my goodness, I was
already giving thanks and I'm already down at my cousin John in Brooklyn. That's cool."
And I realized that I had internalized it. This giving thanks that came first as a thought
had moved its way down into my gut and my belly and my soul. And it was coming just
natural. It was just coming so naturally to give thanks. And I also noticed things happen
when you give thanks. You know, have you ever been around people that are grumpy, "I don't
have anything, and you got more than me, and yah yah yah." They're no fun to be around.
Right? True. But then you're around people, maybe they don't even have anything, but they're
thankful. "Wow, look at my cup. I have this one cool cup; it's mine, and I love it, and
I can drink out of it." People like that are fun to be around. They make you feel good.
Yeah. And all it starts with is giving thanks. It's really simple. And also I was thinking,
you know those things "Round tuits." My Dad used to love to say, "When I get around to
it." And literally one day, I think my Mom came up one day and gave him a round tuit.
(laugh) It was round, and it said, "Tuit." "Aright honey, you've got your round tuit,
get to it." (laugh) Well, kind of like that. What it we all made little things that say
"Thanks!" on it. Or are called "Thanks." And you draw 'em, you make 'em, you bake 'em.
Whatevers. You have them with you. And you're out in the world, and someone's nice to you.
Someone's mean to you. Someone gives you something, you just, no reason, want to give Thanks.
And you got your little "Thanks!" on you. "Oh look, I got my 'Thanks.' Here." (laugh)
Just an idea I have. What the heck. Any way that we can make our life better, and make
the world better, being nicer to each other. We're all here together on this planet, why
not be nice to each other? Why not help each other out? So for me, Sj, that all starts
with giving thanks. For what you have and maybe what you don't have. 'Cause maybe what
you don't have is what you really don't need and it's a good thing and "Thank you for not
being here with me right now." Okay. But you have something. You have life. You have a
soul. And you have a smile. That's a great place to start. So to you I say, "Give thanks."