I may have mentioned before that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The biggest reason for this is that it's still 'pure.' By that I mean it isn't like Christmas or any of the 'gift-giving' holidays. The whole point is to take some time to reflect on what's good in our lives and to recognize those good things. At it's heart, it's the most optimistic holiday.
I also like that it's not religious. It's one holiday that everybody in the country can celebrate no matter where they come from, what religion they practice, or anything else. I can't think of any religion that would object to a holiday like this.
And then there's the way we celebrate. The whole practice is simply getting friends and family together to have a big meal and spend some quality time together. It's something I love to do anyway, and it comes free with this holiday. What could be better!
It's funny--I've gotten several invitations to accompany people to their family homes for the holiday (since I'm on my own here). That's very nice of them and says volumes about what people are willing to do on this day. I have the best friends, ones that make that invitation without a second thought.
But it doesn't bother me to be on my own for Thanksgiving. I think that's because rather than be woeful about not having anybody to spend it with--demonstrably untrue--I know that I'm with my friends even now. Friends I haven't seen in years, absent friends, and friends I've yet to meet: I can feel them all with me today and being alone in my house can't take that away. So in a way, I really am spending my Thanksgiving with my friends and family.
What am I grateful for? Pretty much everything. Notably, I have the best friends and family in the world. I also have the prospect of a bright career in a field that--despite the occasional problems--I love. I'm grateful for my time at SAFE working with rape and domestic abuse survivors. These are the people that truly taught me about strength and perseverance.
Sure, it's not all roses. I wish that I weren't coming out of school with so much debt. It would be nice to have a romantic partner in my life. But these are both issues that come about from my own choices and that will be solved through my own choices. You could say I'm glad to be in a position that I can solve them at all, given that there are a lot of people in the world who are not in a position to solve their biggest problems.
So I urge everybody to take some time today, not just in a prayer before digging into your ginormous meal, to reflect on your life and think about all the good things in it. It's not something we do often enough.
