Thanksgiving can be a chore.

It’s an enormous amount of work for a meal that never lasts long enough, which makes it easy to grumble about. If you shoulder the load, you know how exasperating it can be when others are relaxing and you’re stuck laboring.

Here’s an idea – this year, try not to keep score. Or point fingers. Or blame others.

Let’s make this a day where we take the high road and know that our real reward – our payback – may not even come in this life. Let’s serve others without complaint. Let’s really give thanks.

German philosopher Meister Eckhart once said, “If the only prayer you said your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

For this day – maybe the whole weekend – try to replace complaints with gratitude.

Then that magic you feel while seated around the table with loved ones will last far longer than one meal.

Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday. It’s a lifestyle.