Thanksgiving is upon us once again, and this year has me really really appreciating and being thankful for what I have. Most importantly in this recession period, what I have to possibly lose.
Earlier this year when my household income fell by half, I was concerned…but not worried. I knew that the one thing my wife and I share unequivocally is resilience and tenacity (ok that’s two things but whose counting) to weather this financial storm. I’m so glad we are of like minds. So when we cut out the VIP’ing, the designer handbags, my wife’s two hundred dollar jean addiction(lol), my taste for the finer wines and spirits, it was a pretty easy transition back to the mundane.
Others weren’t so lucky.
This Thanksgiving has us on the road to see family. It’s a much needed reprieve from the monotony that is Jacksonville. I’m excited. I don’t know of any family that has swagger and can maintain it for decades like ours. The bond is surreal. We owe it all to our grandmother.(rest in peace, Gertrude).
Man, I’m already hungry…I’m going to be a glut this Thanksgiving and look good doing it. If you’re in the area, fix me a plate. I’m coming to dinner. I like chicken, turkey, ham, ribs, and fish. You can keep the stuffing, I’m low carb…
Family benediction and eating aside, i’ll hit my old stomping grounds and see old friends from school and the neighborhood. Let’s be honest, this is where the show begins…the degrees, the titles, the cars, the trophy wife/husband. Because secretly you want to gauge/rank one another. Been that way since school hasn’t it?
After it’s all said and done, after all the feeding and posturing, after the show, after the pomp and circumstance…our friends and family are all we have to maintain our sanity in this tumultous, topsy turvy, trainwreck of an economy.
And for that, I am thankful most.
The Economy of Words 
Dennis, I am so proud of you and your ability to put pen-to-paper and materialize the thoughts we all have about our friends & family being the cornerstone of maintaining our sanity. And I have to add one thing to your comment about catching up w/all your old friends from school & the neighborhood…..Just watching “the show” (as you put it) w/everyone show-casing their degrees, titles, cars & trophy wives/husbands, can be the best comic-relief ever witnessed. I can just hear some of the lies being told already. (LOL) I just wish I could be right there in the middle of it all. I sincerely hope you & all the friends and family, have a great time in the “Gump”!!
Hi Dennis,
I could not agree with you more about family, friends, etc. I too had the opportunity to visit family and spend time self-reflecting on the value of FAMILY. It is a time for laughter, and just being plane ole’ you. At least with family you don’t have to put on aires, you can simply be yourself.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday 🙂