This past Sunday, a Milwaukee tribesman had the brilliant idea to ask each November Project city to come up with a Thanksgiving message, expressing what they are grateful for this holiday season. Amazing.
Coincidentally, this tribesperson had ready access to a network of co-leaders through his gf (i.e. me), and the plan began.
A quick email was sent out to over 100 recipients (*danger zone for reply-alls*), from 44 cities around the globe, with the intention to find out from their tribes “What are you most grateful for?” The instructions were simple: to take a picture for a worldwide album that answers the prompt November Project is grateful for ___. The co-leaders then were to send the picture to me in an email, the pictures would be compiled into an album, and used to thank people who are impactful in the NP world. Initially, it was a thank-you to BG, Bojan, and Laura for everything they do, but it turned into something way bigger.
People from cities all over the world used this opportunity to think a little deeper about the blessings we all have been given or have given to one another, to reach out to the people who touch our souls, and to consider how very lucky we all are. We don’t express our gratitude enough, and what started as a little thank you to the NP founders turned into an exercise in thanksgiving.
What was so beautiful to me, being the recipient of the dozens of emails from co-leaders, was seeing how different each tribe was – the size of the group, the things they were grateful for (I see you, Austin… Tacos?!), the way they expressed it, and the variety of locations that came together to make this simple idea a reality. It all seemed so improbable… I was worried we’d only get pictures from like three tribes. And to ask cities from outside of the United States to celebrate our little American holiday, regardless of the fact that they are in Malaysia, or Iceland, or the Netherlands!
This little exercise in gratitude reminded me of things that I love about November Project. An improbable group of humans came together, because of the request of little old Milwaukee, to expose their tribes to the connectedness of good people in this world. People in New Orleans were thinking about people in Edmonton were thinking about people in Milwaukee were thinking about people in Indianapolis. What started as a thought (much like a workout between two insanely fit and mutually motivated humans) turned into something connecting cities across the world in love, friendship, and gratitude. Who cares how we are different? Who cares that some of us are Serbian and don’t celebrate Thanksgiving? Who cares what the color of our skin is, how “in shape” we are, how old we are, what gender we are, what language we speak?
We are all humans, grateful to be alive, sharing love.
Check out the album here, and thank you to everyone who came together to make this a reality. In Thanksgiving, I love and am grateful for you all.
Love, Christine and the entire city of Milwaukee
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