Hi, it's Andy here and welcome to Radio Headspace and a Thursday morning and depending on

where you are in the world, happy Thanksgiving.

I know this year for so many people has been one of the most difficult on record and even

on a day like today, which typically you might find yourself surrounded by family and friends.

It's just not that straightforward and many people aren't able to travel and be with one

another and so it can be difficult, I think, not to focus on the things that haven't gone

well in the year and instead to focus on those things that we really feel grateful for,

that we appreciate.

We may look back over the year and say, well, it just doesn't feel like there are that

many things that I can appreciate.

But sometimes it's maybe not what's going on around us or what we have in the world.

It's more about being alive at its most basic level and I was reminded of this the other

day I was chatting to a friend back in England and they're turning 40 and for me, I don't

know, 40 sound, it's how they're pretty young, but for them, you know, they were a little

bit upset about it.

I was thinking the amazing thing in some ways is how we even made it to this age and life,

whatever age we might be.

A few days back I was doing an interview for something and the journalist was asking me

sort of why I went off and became a monk in the first place.

I was telling her a story, you know, of various people that I'd lost at sort of quality young

age and how that had turned my life in a different direction.

It was late, it was the fact that she Christmas morning after a big party and a drunk driver

...