A favorite holiday

I've always liked Thanksgiving. I've heard some people opine that in some ways it's the most American of holiday (though I think I'd argue Independence Day is). I also once heard someone comment that it was the closest thing we got to a civic holiday that was Judeo-Christian, and specifically Jewish, in spirit - the idea of celebrating the harvest, and giving thanks. (And yes, Canada has a Thanksgiving, more than a month before we do. But I think the US officially celebrated Thanksgiving first....)

Probably a lot of cultures down the years have done harvest festivals. (Sukkot, of course). I think it is a good thing, though, to stop and be thankful. There is so much in our current culture that seems to militate against that: on the one hand, the idea that Things Are Not As Perfect As They Could Be and on the other hand, the But Your Neighbors Have Better Stuff Than You Do idea.,

But I do think it's important to stop, and take a breath, and realize some stuff:

1. Indoor plumbing, which most of us in the US take for granted, did not exist until a few generations ago and still does not exist for much of the world - in fact, clean, safe, drinkable water is still a major concern in many places. (I have relatives still living who grew up without indoor plumbing)

2. Most of us reading this really do have enough food. And most of us have enough that we can buy a few cans of tuna or green beans and take them to the local food bank. (And please check first to find out what they need if you're gonna do that! Some food banks have CASES of green beans but nothing with protein, others may be well stocked with peanut butter and tuna but need veggies). I do this from time to time - it reminds me that I really DO have "enough," budget cuts notwithstanding, and I can afford to share that "enough" with others. And I tend to think that if everyone who can bought a few things now and then (and also in the summer, a slack time) it would go a long way to alleviating hunger problems in the community.

(Our local food drive this year is centering on single serving stuff, especially things with pull-ring tops, like those little cans of pasta meals - they say they have a lot of elderly who live alone, and they are also now trying to help provide food for the local homeless, and pull-ring cans are just easier. And as someone who lives alone, I can sympathize with not wanting a lot of leftovers, especially if your refrigerator is on the fritz)

3. If you have good or even fair health, that's something to be thankful for. And the fact that most of us have decent access to medical care. I know far too many people who are doing chemo right now. I have a cousin facing major surgery. (I am proud of my GP, also - she has helped start a one-day-a-week free clinic for people with no access to care, and she serves there in the early evening of that day). And I'm thankful for modern dental care instead of just "Yeah, you broke the tooth. Here, let me get my puller and you grab on to something firm."

4. I'm thankful for my hobbies, even if I don't get to pursue them quite as much as I might like.

5. I'm thankful to have a job, and have one that pays all my bills. I don't currently have any debt and I realize that is unusual for a person today.

6. I'm thankful for the freedoms I enjoy, even as I look worriedly at what's going on in France (the talk of them declaring martial law over there until the terrorist masterminds are found; I could see some thinking similar was a good idea here)

But more than that, I like the idea of taking a day, and stopping, and being thankful, and eating a big meal that is partly ceremonial in function (this is why I am not always so on-board with the moves to "modernize" Thanksgiving or the argument - I think it was even Calvin Trillin that made it - that we have spaghetti instead). I also like that, outside of the cooking (and that can be circumvented if you truly hate to cook by making restaurant reservations, or seeing if someone will invite you to their house), there's really very little to do. Most people, Thanksgiving afternoon, they either watch football or some years there's a re-run of Miracle on 34th Street on, or they go out and throw a football around in the yard with their kids - it's a very low-key day and I think in a culture where we are too often keyed-up we need days that are low-key and where (hopefully) the expectation is that not very much big happens.


ETA:

I linked to this poem several years ago (Lynn linked it first) and I still like it, and still think it's true, and something we all to often forget.