Stressed. Annoyed. Happy. Drunk. Hungry. Excited. Gluttonous. Exhausted. All reasonable things to experience on a day dedicated almost entirely to the preparation and consumption of copious amounts of food with your entire family. Some say it marks the beginning of the holiday season (other enthusiasts like myself might say Halloween), the most exciting time of the year! Although most of us are aware that we are incredibly fortunate human beings in this world, we sometimes lose our perspective in the midst of chaos. Personally, Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite times of the year; for one, it is the absolute largest of my family gatherings, and secondly, because it’s located in the beloved hill country. Infallibly, I experience anxiety beforehand, during, and sometimes after, as a result of the overwhelming quantity of wonderful and slightly irritating company I am in. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t always leave with a smile on my face, but those few short days under one roof are the truest test of character. I can’t wait to throw in-laws into the picture ;-)! I put together a few tips on how to summon your most grateful self this Thanksgiving, and for your reading pleasure, an elaborate list of the many blessings you are probably blessed with (some sarcasm implied). Enjoy.
Keep it simple and decide ahead of time that you’re going to be happy while you’re with your whole entire extended family. Embrace the rarity of the occasion! Take any ‘constructive’ criticism in stride and with a grain of salt—not your opinion, not your problem, but thanks for the input. Appreciate the excessive coddling, even though you’re a full-grown adult who generally takes care of yourself. Exercise in the mornings; gear up your metabolism and get those natural endorphins pumping early on. Take it out on the pavement, not on your siblings or your waistline. Go out of your way to make others feel good, just because you’re a nice person. Whether that means pulling out your funny bone, making sure the wine glasses stay full, or setting and resetting the table until your mom says it’s right, keeping everyone in good spirits will certainly work in your favor. Plus, doing nice things for others gives us an inherent sense of joy and gratitude. Pass it on. Whatever happens to go wrong, have a laugh about it…nobody will remember next year. If you’re like me, you’re still required to sit at the kid’s table—you might do it begrudgingly, but who are you kidding? It’s obviously more fun.
Also, don’t forget to count your blessings:
- Your unconventional family. Thank God their political and religious views are fair game for humorous remarks.
- A day off work! At least one, maybe more...Amen to that.
- A highly predictable and delicious spread of food. Not to mention, food/resource distribution in the world is majorly f***ed up and you're not starving.
- These people know you and get you—whether you'll admit to it or not, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They also love you and probably share your sense of humor.
- You have a sense of humor. Sure, you take it for granted sometimes, but let's be serious...you know exactly why you're so popular (besides your ravishing good looks).
- Your life is on the right track and, despite the blatant craziness that runs rampant in your genes, you turned out just fine.
- Friends. We've all got them if we want them.
- The day after Thanksgiving—an obvious excuse to buy new shoes and spend frivolously.
- Cinnamon-flavored everything
- If you're a guy, be thankful for domestic roles. If you're a girl, be thankful that your man needs you to function properly.
- You live in America. Resulting from the slightly exaggerated description of a certain historical event, we celebrate a national holiday by eating turkey (Ireland got beer!). We also possess more freedoms and privileges than most populations in the world, and for that we are truly lucky.
Healthy cocktail to try: mix half a glass of fresh, warm apple cider (preferably made with organic apples not from concentrate) and half a glass of red wine. Might sound weird, but if you’ve ever had red wine+Coca Cola you know what I’m talking about. You never know, it might be the booze that keeps the doctor away rather than the apple in this case.
XO,
E
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