Monday was Thanksgiving

Yes, Thanksgiving Day is held a month earlier in Canada than in the United States, and personally I prefer Thanksgiving in October because who wants a holiday so close to Christmas? I also suspect that some of the meaning and enjoyment of the occasion is more likely to be lost when it takes place later in the year, especially since the Christmas media machine seems to strike up the very second Halloween is over. But I digress. I wanted to talk about gratitude because giving thanks and being grateful is what Thanksgiving is all about.

So was I grateful when I learned earlier last week that I would be in charge of making Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday in the rest home where I work? Nope. Annoyed and ticked off would better describe my reaction. Having never cooked a turkey before I also immediately went into panic mode, but having survived the shift (I'll spare you the gory details) I can now say that I was grateful for:

• the compliments from the residents who truly enjoyed the meal
• being able to sleep in the next day and resting my weary bones
• learning something new (I now know how to cook and carve a 25-pound turkey!)
• taking the wishbone home as a souvenir of this forced-upon-me culinary adventure
• the knowledge that all future shifts will seem easy by comparison

Today it's two days after Thanksgiving and for some reason I was feeling a bit grumpy, which is silly really because in actuality I don't have a lot to be grumpy about. My biggest complaint these days seems to be that I continually feel behind when it comes to my creative pursuits and am not able to put in as much time as I would like into my blogs and photography site. Um, hello? Since apparently I'm not worried about health, money or relationships, perhaps I just need to feel a bit more grateful!

Comments

[krissa]

Happy Thanksgiving! .... I just realized that Thanksgiving in Canada comes on the same day as Columbus Day in the US. Doesn't it.....hmmmm, maybe I'm imagining things. ... Glad you made it through the day from you-know-where and that you made a nice holiday for the residents. :) ... Hope you find time to get some rest and get caught up on things soon. You deserve it!

[Monkey]

hi ya! blog looks great. Luv, Monkey

[think outside the piggy bank]

Thanks Krissa and Monk. Not quite rested up yet!

Krissa, I don't know anything about Columbus Day other than what it commemorates. Does it get celebrated in any special way?

[krissa]

Not really. I think maybe banks closed when I was a kid, but there's no celebration or traditions or anything. It's probably just another excuse for government offices to close.