WiseTribe presents our annual Thanksgiving Guide for meaningfully connecting over good old fashioned conversation.
During times in which our country seems to be ailing from a widespread breakdown in communication, we wish you and yours extra helpings of understanding, appreciation, peace, and joy this Thanksgiving.
Co-Create a Collective Blessing
Purpose: Making meaning together
Instructions: Select someone to kick off the creation of this blessing (Criteria: It’s up to you — oldest, youngest, who traveled the farthest — anyone can be a starter.) The first word launches this collaborative process, so be sure to choose a word others can easily build on, such as “We,” “I,” “Because,” “May,” and so forth.
- Now, going around the table in order, each person offers up a single word to add to this collective blessing. To create an overall meaningful statement, choose a word that allows the next person to easily build on it.
- For the person who will close the blessing, at the start, remind them they have the all important role of bringing it to a coherent conclusion.
Note: Little contributions make big things possible. Those non-sexy words, such as “the,” “and,” “it,” and so on, are important for stitching together meaning so don’t discount these little gems.
A Toast to You!
Purpose: To live in our strengths
Instructions: Go around the table and have everyone finish the sentence: “I’m good at…” multiple times. Go around the table enough times (maybe five or six rounds) so that people have to really give thought to what they’re good at — which they may not readily acknowledge or “own” about themselves. You will learn a lot about yourself and others from this one.
Main Course
Purpose: To enlighten and connect generations.
Instructions: Pig out. This course is about gorging on some intimate conversations so consider this a buffet: take on as many or as few questions as you like. Mix and match. One person talks. Everybody listens. Consider starting with an extroverted elder. The gist is to bring the generations together.
- What qualities make for a good friend?
- Do you know how your name was chosen, or how your parents’/grandparents’ names were chosen?
- What traits about your mom or dad would you like to have when you are a grown up or what traits do you already have as a result of their influence?
- Tell a story about your grandparents when they were kids — or talk about what you remember about them when you were a kid.
- Do you know the story about how your parents met? Your grandparents?
- What is your earliest memory? If you were to write your autobiography, would you start with this memory or with a different one?
- Name one person you are thankful for having in your life and tell us why.
- If you had the attention of the world for just 10 seconds, what would you say?
Sweetness of Connecting
Purpose: Digest the wisdom gained
Instructions: Reflect on how this experience inspired you to think differently based on what you learned today — about yourself, about your tablemates. Here are a few thoughts to savour:
- What is your high point of engaging with others this Thanksgiving?
- What did you value about the people who made this Thanksgiving a positive experience for you?
- What did you value about your own contribution to this Thanksgiving?
- Did you learn anything new as a result of this conversation which will spark you to make a positive difference in your life or your community?
If you were truly present you probably became a bit wiser today. What to do with your new perspective, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom?
Act on it. Take what you’ve gained and consider one small action you can now take to improve your life, your family or your community and commit to taking positive action.
Here’s to co-creating a wiser world.
