Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and for many it’s a day of gratitude.

While current political events (specifically the election of young soul Donald Trump) have created a lot of fear as old souls look forward to an uncertain future, it’s important to step back, and take a moment to reflect on all you have to be thankful for.

My work helping people heal their past life trauma constantly reminds me of how fortunate we are to live as most of us do right now.

As the Spirit Guides point out, “From your soul’s point of view, this may be your best life ever.”

You may feel that this life has been full of challenges and disappointments, and the Spirit Guides wouldn’t disagree. But when you put things in perspective, we in the 21^st Century west have a lot to be thankful for.

If you’ve managed to escape war in this life, either as a combatant or a civilian victim, your soul will see that as a victory.

Given how many times you’ve been dragged into conflicts before, your soul will appreciate the opportunity to complete its life plan without the threat of death from bullets or bombs.

Have you had surgery in this life? Imagine what your soul has been through in the past.

Every one of us will have had amputations, trepanning, tooth extractions, Caesarian sections, and other procedures in previous lifetimes. And, until recently, it would have all been done without anesthetics—or little expectation of recovery.

If you’ve given birth successfully in this life, consider yourself lucky.

Going back even a hundred years, not only did an appalling number of babies die, but mothers as well. I’ve seen dozens of cases of women dying of “child-bed fever” in past lives, due to infections caused by ignorance of germ theory.

Give thanks if you have a comfortable home.

Many of your past lives will have been spent in places that were freezing in winter, or where the smoke from the fireplace would force you to sleep sitting up, or where fleas, lice, bed bugs and rodents would prevent you getting a good night’s sleep, sitting up or otherwise.

Be grateful for luxuries like the eight-hour workday, social security, welfare, child-labor laws, the end of slavery, and running water.

In your past lives, losing your spouse, your job, or your eyesight might easily have led to a life of prostitution, or having to beg on the streets to survive.

Your soul will appreciate the education you’ve had, or are, perhaps, still enjoying.

And if you like to read at night, think about how hard that used to be, squinting at the printed page under the light of a sputtering tallow candle (if you were fortunate enough to have a book—or a candle—or even knew how to read).

Take a moment to acknowledge, too, how much personal freedom you have in this life.

You’ve had lives in which you couldn’t marry without your parents’ permission, leave the house without your husband’s approval, or get a divorce without the church deciding the matter for you.

A century ago, having a child outside of marriage might have resulted in you being thrown out of the family, or becoming a subject of malicious gossip for the rest of your life.

This life may not be perfect, but if you’ve made it through childhood without succumbing to polio or measles, and grown up to get an education, choose your own spouse and find work you like, you’re doing well.

Probably better than you’ve done in centuries.

So, the next time you grumble about the Internet being slow, or the supermarket being out of gluten-free bread, take a moment: Close your eyes, picture yourself having a molar removed somewhere in your soul’s past, then open your eyes and say to yourself, “This might be my best life yet.”

If you’re not already signed up for my mailing list, scroll down to the bottom of this page, and look for the Click Here to Sign Up button.

I’ll be making an announcement soon about what my Spirit Guides refer to as the next phase of our old soul movement – and an important way to join me in helping improve your life, and the lives of others!