First things first

As I've noted before, the ever-accelerating rush to the "Christmas shopping season" each year has all but obliterated Thanksgiving, which is now merely a speed bump on the way to "Black Friday."

That's truly a shame.  A heart of thanksgiving would reduce the agitation of those who "occupied" Wall Street.  It would allow people a perspective of enjoying what they have, instead of pining for what they don't.  Instead, we rush right past that season, straight into the one that expects us to pile up even more mountains of debt for things we won't remember in a year.  But with the economic day of reckoning coming ever closer, this, too, is a trend that can't go on forever.

As another writer put it:  "For two decades, America was flooded with prosperity and the optimism it brings. Now the Great Receding has begun, and I can’t help but wonder: Can so spoiled a people learn to live without the things they never needed in the first place?"

They can if they learn the secret of contentment.  That's never been one of our strong suits, however.

There's a week left before Thanksgiving.  What are you thankful for?