From Strikes to Gratitude: Finding Joy This Holiday Season

As Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States, there is a collective sigh of relief that the strikes are over, and the creative industry is returning to doing what it does best: entertaining, educating, and informing. Yet, it is not a celebratory time for many, who feel a sense of despair, a sense of lack somewhere in their lives. Maybe you are not returning to work as quickly as you had wanted, and finances are tight. Perhaps you are so busy that you cannot get away to be with family and friends. Whatever your situation, I encourage you to embrace a positive perspective, especially those really grappling with life's challenges. And, let this blog gently remind those already embracing the spirit of gratitude.

Recently, I appeared on CBS's The Talk to share my book and experience as one of the original supervising producers on Survivor. I was asked if I had any inspirational stories, and I shared my favorite Thanksgiving and Survivor story, which I also wrote about in Take a Shot at Happiness. I only had time to tell a shortened version of the story. It still resonated with the audience, and I thought the unabridged version might with you, too.

Survivors

It was sweltering by 8 a.m. during the filming of The Australian Outback, season two of the television competition show Survivor. I always showed up at camp around first light. By now, the two competing tribes had already merged as one. Several players were still left. The Survivor contestants were so hungry and lazy that they did not want to do anything. I mean nothing, not even sitting along the river holding a fishing pole to get some much-needed protein. They desperately needed food, yet all they could do was talk about it. Nothing was going to budge them except the arrival of Tree Mail, which announced their next challenge. Even then they were pretty slow-moving.

It was an unsteady climb up a sandy bank to get out of camp and on their way to that day’s challenge. The tribe had built their tented, makeshift home on a dry riverbed at the base of a wide gully open to the edge of a river. Its banks were steep. The earth was so dry that the leaves, branches, and dirt quickly gave way as the Survivors struggled to keep their footing getting to its top. Once there, it was a journey to get to the location of their challenge, having to cross several more rocky, dry riverbeds.

Finally, they arrived, only to find out they would be doing a physical endurance challenge. The test was to see how long each could stand while holding a wooden rod across their back with sand-filled buckets at either end. Given how lazy and food-deprived the Survivors were, we thought things would be over quickly. However, the idea of winning an evening of hot dogs and hamburgers shared with real Australian Outback Cowboys, and a warm cot inside four-structured walls, was a strong motivator. So the challenge went on and on and on, lasting the entire afternoon, with Colby Donaldson winning out. During the challenge, the cowboys stood by on horseback, holding the reins of an empty-saddled horse reserved for the winner. It now had Colby’s name on it. Being a ranch-raised Texan and dying to eat those hot dogs and hamburgers, Colby suddenly found the giddy-up to get into the waiting saddle and set off with his newfound cowboy friends.

Ghosts Moving Through Space

As the remaining Survivors watched the backs of Colby and his posse get further away, drops of rain started to fall. Then, the skies released a deluge of rain, though it did not last long, and soon we were returning to the Survivors’ camp. However, the previously dry riverbeds we had crossed coming to the challenge were now raging with water. We had already made a couple of crossings, and we were working on the next and biggest one when I saw our production helicopter flying in the general direction of their camp. The pilot did not radio me as he passed over, and I did not think much of it.

Next came an explosion of radio chatter in my ear. Someone was calling my name. I walked away from the Survivors and put my head down to respond. A near-hyperventilating voice on the other side of the radio announced that a flash flood had just hit the contestant’s camp. Everything was washed away, including their home, on the no longer dry riverbed. The cameraman waiting at the camp had called production’s base camp with the news. That explained the helicopter. I was asked to hold off from bringing the Survivors back to camp. Production wanted aerials of the flood. As the radio chatter continued, I slowly lifted my head to see all the Survivors holding hands that formed a line as they struggled to help each other across the white water swirling around their legs. I would not have to do anything to keep them from entering the camp. I looked at the sky. It was still cloudy and getting darker as our daylight started slipping away.

When they got to the top of the gully and saw the remains of their camp, the Survivors’ faces were shocked and resigned. They were like ghosts moving through space for a long moment, making their way into camp. Picking up a fishing hook here, and a fleece jacket there, each registering how little they had left of their already meager existence. Finally, Tina Wesson broke the silence when she saw their only food. A can of rice lodged between fallen tree branches and rocks on the other side of still-raging water.

Crashing Euphoria

Now sitting on the edge of the light with no time to waste, Tina plunged into the freezing water to rescue the can. By the time she reached it, it was dark. The calls after Tina to “be careful” cut through the blackness of the night. Another Survivor, Keith Famie, tried to go after her, crossing a slippery log and alarming everyone even more. Now, two people were at risk of hurting themselves over a can of rice. After several moments everyone sighed with relief as both safely returned with the rice can in hand. Cheers and hugs went all around—though their euphoria came crashing when they realized they had no matches to make a fire with; there was still no food. The heroic save of their only sustenance was for naught. At that point, their spirits completely broke.

Mechanically, they each plunked down onto the wet sand. One of the Survivors found a somewhat dry blanket. They huddled together under it with their backs to each other for warmth. For a moment, they wondered how Colby was doing, eating hot dogs and burgers near a warm fire, probably hearing great cowboy stories and singing songs. Then, Elisabeth Hasselbeck remembered what day it was, Thanksgiving. As she finished saying the word, I felt a notable shift. The television competition show had stopped. The Survivors were now really surviving. I do not recall who started it off, one by one, they went around their circle, saying what they were thankful for at that moment. It was the most touching moment I ever witnessed in all my seasons of producing the show. To this day, every Thanksgiving I think of that night when there were no alliances, no secrets about who would get voted off. They were just like one. You could feel the bond between them. They were so grateful for having so little. That moment taught me so much about appreciating and being thankful for what I already have in life, even when it does not seem like much.

All this may sound trite. After all, it was just a television competition show and an act of mother nature within a controlled production environment. However, maybe consider viewing this story in its relative context—the Survivors’ feelings of despair and Gratitude for what few things they still had were real to them. It was cold and dark, their bellies ached from lack of food, they had to endure their circumstances away from home on Thanksgiving, and they did it with grace.

The Gift Of Gratitude

While seeing your glass as half-full can be a struggle right now, it is truly worth the try. There are so many things to say “thank you” for, big and small.

I am grateful for a roof over my head when many do not have one.

I am thankful to have enough in my bank account to cover food this month.

I appreciate the time I had to work on other meaningful projects during the strike.

I feel thankful for new opportunities now that the strike is over.

Intentionally feeling and expressing gratitude when there seems to be so much lack is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. I encourage you to take a moment to consider where you can feel thankfulness in your life and share this in the comments below. Your story may inspire others to recognize and appreciate what they already have.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

~ Meister Eckhart

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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