It's just about Thanksgiving, prompting many to ask: Amidst the stress and bustle of life, have we been given anything to be thankful for?

Of course we have, but as we age, it gets harder to see it.

For many, this is a time of year when holiday parties, Christmas shopping, and kids being out of school creates a level of stress capable of sucking the joy out of any situation, regardless of how festive it might be.

Being thankful at Thanksgiving has become a cliche for some, since most people view the holiday as nothing more than the day before the biggest shopping day of the year. It is difficult to be thankful when the high cost of living in Hawai'i and the stress of paying rent, mortgages and bills is exacerbated by the need to buy presents and host celebrations.

As a kid, the holidays bring a change to classroom decorations and teachers' moods lighten, as they all know that weathering the storm of excited, anxious youths precedes weeks away from work at the end of the year.

As a taxpaying member of society, however, holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's have a tendency to ambush us. There is no exciting build-up at work, and many of us, myself included, will be in an office on Thanksgiving, concerned about a lot of things that don't include turkey, pumpkin pie and football.

The days lose their cheer and become another event to plan for and around, and by the time the day arrives, you're burned out.

We are all consumed with the minutiae of our own lives, and it's possible to lose sight of the bigger picture.

So: You're not rich, you wish your kids studied harder, you want to own a home, your spouse isn't perfect, the roof needs repair, and you have no vacation until 2007.

There is always something that could be better about our worlds.

If we were satisfied with mediocrity, the species would have perished a long time ago, but this isn't the week to overanalyze your life's path.

If you're reading this, you're alive, conscious and literate, three things to be thankful for.

Think of all the people for whom the holidays truly pose days of challenge.

Last year, the nation's official poverty rate remained statistically unchanged at 12.6 percent. The percentage of people without health insurance coverage rose from 15.6 percent to 15.9 percent (that's 46.6 million people), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Life can always be better, but if you've got a family and friends who love you this Thursday, be thankful.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.