This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US.  A moment to pause after a very strange year and give thanks for family, friends, the people and things that enrich our lives. This time always makes me think about the behind the scenes people. My kind of people. 

While attending college I often worked during this holiday. Because of my background in the arts a lot of the holiday season was spent in theaters with stage managers, house managers and production crews. Later when my job was to produce and sell the arts, I was at box offices, with volunteers, worrying about ticket sales, about marketing campaigns, surveys, display ads, and attendance, praying that the weather will not force any cancellations. When I began working in advertising managing creative services I started spending time with vendors, printers, fabricators, making sure that everything was in place for the holiday season. 

Which is why I think about the behind the scenes of life. If all the world is a stage, then certainly someone is back there putting on the show. 

I want to encourage you to think about the often invisible people that are so important to your life. And be grateful for them. 

Think about the people that raised and farmed the food you are about to eat. The people that got it from its source to the market where you bought it. When watching the parade and the games on television think about the volunteers that got up before dawn to help the parade happen. Think about the camera crews. Think about the people working shifts in hospitals, police stations. Think about the people that made the clothes you are wearing. In theaters big and small there are rehearsals for “The Nutcracker” going on right now, people working hard for your enjoyment. Ponder how the device you are using to read this was made and think about all the people that were a part of its creation. Think about the unnamed people that contributed greatly to this year and made it better for you. 

And give thanks for them.

Related: 
Thanksgiving - wiki