Day 55: Thanksgiving

November 24, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today is Thanksgiving. Over the last few weeks, Darling and I have thought long and hard about we are thankful for. We will continue for the remainder of the month, but really the culmination is today. Today, Darling and I are thankful for Thanksgiving itself.

American Thanksgiving, to me, is about food and fellowship. We take a day to focus on our labors and the bounty that we have made. Growing up, I truly thought this was true, but over the years my thoughts have changed. Thanksgiving routinely is a time of stress and anxiety. Days leading up to it, people worry that the day is not going to be “perfect.” Others worry that they will not have enough food and drink. Others, it is just another day.

I now feel that Thanksgiving is for mourning, the beginning of the year’s retrospective, and planning for the future. I still feel that food and fellowship is important, but I am less concerned about making it the perfect holiday.

This year, Darling, our children, and I spent time alone with each other. relaxing and just enjoying the moments we have. We talked about the remainder of the year and started to make plans for next year. We played with our children and each other. We spent most of the day in the here and now.

If you celebrated Thanksgiving, what did you do and what were you thankful for?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling