A Lesson in Being Thankful.

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays.  It’s kind of like you get all of the fun family time from Christmas, but it’s more relaxed and there’s less expected of us all.  Don’t get me wrong – I adore Christmas.  I’m one of “those people” who totally shrieked driving down the road while station-surfing two days after Halloween when I accidentally ran into Delilah on our local radio station that goes entirely Christmas on November 1^st. 

Yes, Dean Martin – it iscold outside.  And I think I will stay.  Thank youuu, sir. 

But anyway – back to Thanksgiving.  We all hear lots of lovely, warm, fuzzy things encouraging us to be thankful for this, be thankful for that, take a good look at what we do have rather than what we don’t and be appreciative of it…

I’m always a bit like, “Yeahhh, yeah yeah, that’s nice.  That’s cool.  Yay, yippee, fun and I’m thankful and whatnot.”  But this year, I got to thinking: what am I really thankful for?  And when things seem daunting, a little scary, and just really aren’t that good, why should I be?  What if I just don’t want to and am far more in the mood to have little toddler-boohoo-rants like this in my brain?  What have I got to be thankful for? 

Lots of things, dear friends.  Lots of things. 

Something I have incorporated into my life over the last year is being proactive in making decisions, taking actions, and thinking about things without feeling like it.  So on Thanksgiving day, I decided to put aside how I feel about things, and situations, and life in general, and make myself think of what I was thankful for right at that moment.  And here’s what came to mind.

• I’m thankful the flowers I picked out for our Thanksgiving centerpiece looked so nice.
• I’m glad my family is going to enjoy a nice day in my parents’ home with super yummy food, good company, my sweet puppy Kylie, and a fireplace to fall asleep in front of when my belly’s too full for me to stay conscious.
• I’m thankful I still have friends in England who probably wouldn’t mind seeing me if I ever get back there.  I miss Liverpool so, so very badly.
• I’m thankful, EVEN if my weigh-in Monday morning doesn’t go well, that I’ve lost nearly 86 pounds since March.  
• I’m thankful my Dad’s watching football.  I don’t typically follow sports, but lately, I really like hanging out at my parents’ while my Dad watches sports.  
• I’m thankful for Muppets.  
• I’m thankful for a Mom who, time and time again, really does know best.  She is awesome.  She really, really is.  
• I’m thankful my brothers are all doing so well for themselves.  
• I’m thankful that ridiculously cheesy lady Delilah had some soppy one-liner between Andy William’s “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and Wham’s “Last Christmas” reminding me to shut up and stop my whining and think about what I really do have to be thankful for. 

Things are just things.  Places are just places.  People come and go.  Things aren’t always rosey.  I’m sure you are all 368% aware of this, and then some.  But I’m pretty darn sure if we’d all have a little more faith, show a little more love, and be a little more thankful, things at least wouldn’t seem all bad. 

I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one.  And for those of you who didn’t, well – I’ll think of you while I’m being thankful for leftovers.

Turkey Day Preparation...

I am excited!  I love Thanksgiving.  I've been given the duty of picking out some pretty flowers for my family's centerpiece, which is wonderful because I love getting my Mom flowers.  I've also got a self-imposed last-minute duty of attempting a light, yummy, Thanksgivingy dish.  I am a prolific procrastinator, so I will be braving the aisles of some alarmingly busy grocery store this evening to buy ingredients to prepare...  Something.  The Mom suggested a salad, so I'm thinking about a fall salad with mixed greens, flaked smoked salmon, apples, dried cranberries, some good cheese and maybe some nuts.  We'll see.

I thought about getting a spice cake mix and mixing it with soda and pumpkin pie mix, but I have no idea how it'd turn out.  It just sounds good...  Maybe I'll go all experimental on everybody.  We'll see.  I think I'm going to save all of my dessert experimentation for Christmas!

In preparation for my day of mild food extravagance, though, I've decided to work out first thing in the morning.  This is partly because I need to in general, and partly because I want to burn off a bit of what I'll be eating later!  I can't eat as much as I used to, so I've come up with a bit of a game plan.

I'm going to grab about a soup-spoonful of all the things I'd like to eat.  I figure, if I get a wee bit of it all, I'll be stuffed, not having gone over the top, but also getting to taste it all!  That way I won't feel like tiny, orange men are about roll me away, but will be mighty content.

Byyy the way...

If you're a record fiend like I am, be SURE to visit your local record shops this Friday for Black Friday!  So many albums are being released - both new, and reissued classics, and I'm sure there will be some great sales around here on used stuff.  I can't wait.  AND!  Make sure to support local business on Small Business Saturday!  I'll partake in the madness at all the big stores, too, I'm sure.

I hope you all have a tremendous Thanksgiving!