Passing Judgment On Thanksgiving

Here’s hoping you had a fantastic Thanksgiving break – spending time with friends and family, watching football, getting those Black Friday deals.

It’s always fascinates me how Thanksgiving is a break to give thanks and it’s also a break from some good judgement: we eat, drink and watch what we want, including umpteen hours of football games.

But the most secret is that getting this break from good judgement often leaves room for another kind of judgement to creep in.  You may have noticed yourself thinking:

I can’t believe she lets her children act that way (she must be a bad mother)

They are ALWAYS late (they act so entitled)

He knows I’m vegetarian/vegan/allergic (he is thoughtless)

Look at her go for dessert, at her size (she’s irresponsible)

Who’s she trying to impress with that fancy dinner? (she’s a snob)

And if judging others weren’t enough we can equally turn on ourselves:

I should have used the good china (I’m just lazy)

I can’t believe I ate so much (I have no self discipline)

I should have gone to those Black Friday sales (I’m not good about saving money)

I should have spent more time talking to my sister/brother/parent/in-law (I’m thoughtless, self-centered, impatient)

And now with this blog, you may be judging yourself for being so judgmental!!!  It’s good to realize that judging ourselves and others is actually a colossal waste of time and energy.  While good judgment and discernment are helpful, every time we judge others we take the spotlight off the one person we can actually change – ourselves.  And when we judge ourselves, we sap the energy we could use to do and achieve all that is ours.

So for this week, I invite you to become aware (whenever the voice of judgment starts whispering) and instead give thanks.  For what?  For absolutely anything.  It may be hard at first and you may start judging how often judgement appears.  DON’T!  Just say Hmm, that’s interesting. And find something, anything, to be grateful for.  It can be a miraculous (and simple!) way to change your life.

I will be practicing right along with you.  Let me know how it goes.

Until next Tuesday,

Elizabeth