Thanksgiving, 2013

  In the U.S. , Thanksgiving falls on the last Thursday in November, a date that was established by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. In 1942, the date was amended to the fourth Thursday in November. The holiday supposedly goes back to 1621, when the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts  held a feast to give thanks for the year’s harvest.

Whatever its genesis, it has always been one of my favorite times of the year. When I was growing up in Venezuela,  it meant a four-day weekend, long enough to take a trip or just hang loose with friends and family. Even though Venezuelans didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, there were thousands of Americans in the country back, then – many who worked for American companies – so a lot of schools and offices closed.

Later, when I was in college in upstate New York, it meant a long weekend in Florida with my family – and a respite from the cold. But always, it meant the holiday was about appreciating what you have, giving thanks for it.

In recent years, the holiday has become weirdly commercial. First, there are the frozen and fresh turkeys overflowing in bins at the grocery store. Some years ago, when we were semi-vegetarians who ate only fish, we did vegetarian turkeys on Thanksgiving. No matter how you cooked them, they really didn’t taste good. That has probably changed.

When my dad lived with us, he asked if we could have something other than tofu or fish at dinner, so we started eating  turkey and chicken again.  We haven’t eaten pork or meat (beef of any kind) in more than 20 years and I would probably get sick now if I did. Can’t say I miss burger or steaks or pork chops. But I would certainly miss chicken and turkey. And yet, when I walked into the grocery store the other day and saw all these neatly bundled turkeys, I felt sad for them, sad for what they have come to symbolize in American culture.  And suddenly I wondered if I could eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

Then there’s Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – now touted as the biggest shopping bargain day of the year. There are always stories about the consumers who spend all night lined up outside their favorite stores so they can be the first inside for the bargains when the place opens. Really? You lose a night of sleep for this?!

The other consumer aspect of Thanksgiving is that it’s the busiest time of year for the travel industry, even bigger than the Christmas/new year holidays. According to CNN, more than 43 million Americans will be traveling during the holidays- but that’s more than a one percent decrease from last year.  It means airport security headaches, cancelled flights and more highway accidents because of inclement weather.

This year, like most Thanksgivings, we’re staying home. Our daughter will be here, friends will drop by, there will be plenty of food.  We won’t be shopping on Black Friday. We’ll have Noah and Nika – our dog and Megan’s – and a third visiting dog, Ollie, Megan’s roommate’s dog. Yikes. Three of them and 2 cats. We’ll see how that works out.  Weather permitting, there will be Frisbee Golf,  dog park visits, bike rides, board games, movies, and the company of people we love and enjoy.

But for me, it will also be a time to appreciate and give thanks for where I am now in my life, for the people who have helped and accompanied me along this path, for the myriad of experiences that have brought me to this NOW.

So, to all of you who have contributed to our collective knowledge of synchronicity and the deep mysteries, may your day be filled with appreciation and grace.