Reframing Gratitude with Awareness
© 2025 True Path Co. All rights reserved.
Title: Reframing Gratitude
Read time 5 minutes.
Growing up, I learned the same Thanksgiving story that many of us did. It was presented as a simple tale of unity, shared meals, and peaceful beginnings. As a child, I accepted it without question. As an adult, I realized how much of the truth was never spoken aloud.
The more I learned, the more complicated the story became. There were missing pieces, silenced voices, and experiences that were never included in the versions taught in schools. The reality of what Indigenous communities endured did not align with the soft, simplified holiday narrative generations were taught.
Understanding this shifted something in me, and I no longer felt aligned celebrating the holiday the way I always had. I also did not feel the need to reject gratitude or connection altogether. Instead, I chose something different—something honest and grounded.
I honor this time as a day for gratitude, not a reenactment of a myth.
A day for presence and awareness. A day to acknowledge those who observe this period as a National Day of Mourning, without pretending the past was peaceful or equitable.
It is also a day to recognize how deeply we have all been shaped by cultural narratives, generational conditioning, and cultural stories handed down to us before we had the capacity to question them. When we learn more, we have the opportunity to choose differently.
For me, this choice is simple: I hold gratitude with awareness.
I can appreciate the blessings in my life while acknowledging histories that were never told honestly or reframed to fit a twisted hero narrative. I can create traditions that feel aligned rather than inherited blindly. I can connect with the people I care about without relying on a story that leaves out so much truth.
Today, I honor gratitude as a practice, not a performance. I embrace presence as a way of living, not a holiday theme. Lastly, I honor the quiet awareness that allows me to be both grateful and honest at the same time.
This shift feels sovereign, grounded, and authentic for me.
How have your perspectives about traditions shifted as you’ve grown older?
Until next time, let your inner compass guide you. 🧭
💫 Tara
© 2025 Tara Palazzolo, True Path Co. All rights reserved. This piece is part of the Traveler’s Codex—designed to support your journey of inner growth and sovereignty. Sharing is welcome with proper credit. No reproduction or redistribution is permitted without written permission.