Every morning, I sit down with my coffee and try to wrangle my brain into something resembling focus. That’s where the Thought of the Day and Question of the Day come in. Today’s pair hits especially hard as we slide into Thanksgiving week: one about finding abundance in small things, and one about celebrating the true king of the holiday table. This post explores both, with some stories, some honesty, and a healthy appreciation for the greatest boxed side dish ever created.
Thought of the Day: “Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot.” — Hausa proverb
This proverb has been following me around lately like a friendly ghost tapping me on the shoulder. “Hey,” it says. “Before you fall apart because you can’t find your keys again, maybe notice the fact that you’re standing in a warm house wearing socks that match.”
It’s easy to miss how much “a little” really is.
Most days, gratitude doesn’t arrive as a lightning bolt. It arrives as small things I forget to notice. A quiet morning before the kids explode into the day. The way leftover coffee still tastes good when you microwave it because everything tastes good when you’re tired enough. The fact that even on the hardest days, there’s someone who texts, or hugs, or raises an eyebrow at me in that “you got this” kind of way.
I used to think gratitude required a big dramatic moment. A milestone. A miracle. A breathtaking, cinematic, orchestra-swell kind of turnaround.
But if life teaches you anything, it’s this:
Your big moments depend on how well you handled the small ones.
There’s power in noticing the micro-blessings. Things like the sound of the kids laughing in the other room. A dishwasher that didn’t break this week. A work project that didn’t combust in your hands. The fact that you remembered to buy milk before it ran out. These little wins add up. They stack. They carry you.
Sometimes abundance looks like a life that’s imperfect but still worth waking up for.
If today you can only give thanks for a little, that’s more than enough. That’s you planting seeds. They grow whether you notice them or not.
And when they do, you suddenly look around and think, “Wow. There’s a lot here.”
That’s the whole magic trick.
Question of the Day: Which Thanksgiving food deserves its own national holiday? Hands down, Stove Top Stuffing.
Look, I’ve eaten a lot of Thanksgiving food in my life: turkey that pulls apart perfectly, turkey that tastes like it was cooked in a desert windstorm, mashed potatoes so smooth they could qualify as skincare, rolls soft enough to cry over, pies that should honestly come with a warning label.
But the GOAT?
The undisputed champion?
The culinary underdog that rises every time you need it?
Stove Top Stuffing.
Let me tell you something: Stove Top doesn’t miss. Stove Top doesn’t show up late to the party. Stove Top isn’t moody. Stove Top doesn’t require twelve steps and a prayer circle to prepare. It doesn’t come out of the oven still somehow soggy and crunchy at the same time. No. Stove Top shows up like the friend who says, “You need help?” and then actually helps.
We should absolutely have a national holiday for it.
Banks closed. Schools closed. A parade where a giant inflatable stuffing box floats down Broadway like a breadcrumb-filled Snoopy.
The true brilliance of Stove Top is that it’s always there for you. Thanksgiving? Obviously. Random Tuesday night when you’re out of dinner ideas? Stove Top steps forward like, “Say no more.” Potluck you forgot about until five minutes ago? Boom. Microwave. Done. The crowd cheers.
And don’t even get me started on mixing it with leftover turkey the next day. That’s not a meal. That’s therapy.
If anything deserves its own holiday, it’s the side dish that has never failed a single person in the history of modern cuisine.
Your Turn
What’s the one Thanksgiving food you would build a national holiday around? And what’s the smallest thing you’re grateful for today?
Tell me in the comments — and if you want these daily sparks sent straight to your inbox, join the free daily email below.
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