By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will be over.

Depending on when you get your paper, you will have finished lunch or dinner of leftovers from Thursday’s feast and will either be napping on the sofa or in your recliner or watching football or a Christmas movie. Either Ole Miss or Mississippi State will have won the Egg Bowl, and you might either be happy or sad about the final score. You might even be watching the commentary on ESPN or perusing some online sports blog that predicts Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for Florida or Miami or some other coaching vacancy.

There is also the possibility that you are resting your feet and recovering from bumps and bruises you received chasing after some Black Friday deal at an area store.

It’s funny how the year has gone by so fast. It just seems like last week, we were watching the fireworks on the levee. It’s hard to believe that one day ago we were chowing down on turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and pumpkin, apple or sweet potato pie for dessert.

November is fading and December and Christmas, with all its treats and goodies, are heading in like a locomotive. Somehow it seems like a plot by the food manufacturers that the two holiday seasons when we eat the most come at the end of the year and so close together that you don’t have time to recover from one feast before the next hits.

If you’re like me, from the end of November until the end of December you’re on a see-food diet — you see food and you eat it  — and then you wonder Jan. 2 why the clothes don’t fit. Growing up in a family of good cooks and marrying one does not help one’s waistline between November whenever and Jan. 2.

But all the feasting aside, what have you been thankful for?

There are many things that we take for granted daily that we should be thankful for. One is the fact that we’ve survived (almost) another year. Those of us have who so far survived the pandemic and those who contracted COVID-19 and survived should be thankful for being able to see another day. Locally, the city’s economy is improving and tourism seems to be returning. We dodged several major hurricanes and we survived the ice storm of 2021 with our sanity (we hope) intact.

As we go about our daily activities between now and Dec. 31, let’s keep those things in mind when we start to get down on ourselves or the world. We’ve had some good things happen to all of us and we need to remember that. Sure, they’re not major things like winning the Powerball or the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes, but they are a sign that some good things have happened to us this year and it’s quite possible better things are still in store before the fireworks begin exploding on 12:01 a.m. New Year’s Day and disturbs your sleep.

Think about it.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving a day late.