Thoughts on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving ranks as one of my favorite holidays.  Some of my favorite things are a part of the holiday--like delicious comfort foods and the favorite niece and nephews.  Unlike Christmas, there is so much less pressure.  No frantic gift buying and giving, so no resulting panic over gift buying debt or getting it just right.  No multiple day celebration, wearing everyone out and producing the holiday fatigue cloud.

One of my favorite ways to spend time is cooking and baking.  Without ever really noticing it until recently, I've also developed an affinity for doing so in the company of others.  If you've never tried cooking or baking with your friends or family, you really must.  The kitchen is the equivalent of my adult tree house.  I hide out there with my favorite people, feeling nothing but elation over the opportunity to huddle in the company of others in the warm, delicious-smelling homiest part of home.  Even more, I love creating good eats with others.  Whether we're all individually responsible or working with one another on goodies, it's always a team effort that, in the end, can be appreciated as such.

The smells of Thanksgiving immediately stir good memories and excitement for me.  I know many candle companies capture the individual smells of the holidays, but I really think someone needs to capture the symphony of smells that come together with the roasting turkey in the oven.  Whether it's the stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie, they all partner perfectly.  These smells together can take the likes of an empty bomb shelter and transform it into a cozy home, fire burning in the fireplace and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade playing in the background.

There has been only one occasion when I have not made it home for the holiday.  I was a starving student in Philadelphia, and I honestly don't even recall what I ate that holiday with my out of town guest.  What I recall best is working the aisles of Borders Books & Music (yes, they still existed) on Black Friday, wondering why I had just missed out on my favorite holiday ever at home.

And so this year, as I gather at the table with my family, I will be very thankful for the great privilege of gathering with them in a warm, cozy setting, with all of the smells of Thanksgiving cradling us in our celebration.  And while I usually pause at some point in each day, amazed by my great fortune in this life, tomorrow, I will pause to be grateful for my Thanksgiving Day fortune of being right where I want to be.

Navigating Life's Rivers

We know ourselves best.  This is always a good motto to follow throughout your life.  But, there's also often a lot of noise around us, making it hard to hear ourselves think.  Times of crisis can be especially tough--whether health-related, emotional or otherwise.  I think of these times as having their own currents, like a river, and whether this river is only a river to you or not, it can still carry you away.  

So, I offer two tools below that have helped me recently and that I'm growing to value more with each day.  

• Health Tool.  This past year has offered me a lot of content in the health department.  Lots of downs, unfortunately.  The really great part of this has been my own exploration of how my body and mind are connected and how all of those small things that you write off as small can, in reality be big and, as a result, have big effects on your health.  So, my first bit of advice is to always, always be fully aware of what's been floating around in your mind as you seek medical advice.  The second part of this health tool is to always be your own advocate when you do seek medical attention.  Asking questions should not equate to doubting your doctor's intelligence and competence.  Unfortunately, I think that has become a trending assumption.  In my own case, I was convinced that I had to cave on taking a medication I'd been avoiding for years...literally years.  I caved and ignored my own concerns only to spin into many months of darkness.  And when I say darkness, I mean the type of darkness that makes functioning extremely challenging and a darkness that shrouds all feelings and emotions of the good sort in total darkness.  Along this road, I noticed a difference, so I thankfully kept aware and talked often about what was going on with my family.  Finally, when a health scare of a larger proportion snuck in, my family doctor finally put an end to a continuation of the medication that I'm convinced, at this point, took a downward spin and turned it into a nosedive.  Do not be fooled by the effects of medication.  While this medication was to help relieve symptoms I would really rather go without, which it did for the most part, it left me feeling in the deepest depths of post partum depression.  Not cool. So, ask questions, be curious and always communicate your gut feelings.
• Well Being Tool.  As a result of said medication above, I became desperate for some emotional relief.  Enter Jon Kabat-Zinn and mindfulness meditation.  Kabat-Zinn runs a sophisticated stress clinic in Massachusetts.  He is nothing short of a thought leader in the field, and his tools have helped many people.  So, I picked up one of his books, Full Catastrophe Living, and I started making myself listen to his Body Scan Meditation on a nightly basis.  Between the knowledge in the book, and the calm of the meditation practice, I have gained so much more appreciation for how responsible we all are for our well being.  The world, this day in age, tells us not to stop.  It tells us not to slow down for fear of being trampled.  But, learning mindfulness meditation has taught me not only what stopping and slowing down does for me, but through that, what it can also do for others.  This is not to say that it's easy because it is not.  With work schedules, family schedules, responsibilities, etc., it is so easy to bypass this daily exercise and gain a bit more television time, reading time or just plain down time.  But, I've personally come to adore my meditation hours.  The strength and calm that can be elusive in light of tough times begins to flourish and bring such joy.  On nights when I hesitate, I think of the darkness that that medication brought with it.  And then I ask myself if there was anything else at all that helped me combat that, and the answer is no.  And so, I embrace the lifesaver and, in the end, bring my mind and body relief from the day's challenges and stress.

       

Holidays

This year, as you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays--because you know you will...we all will--try to remember something important.

Every day...every single day...is just as important as the next.  Granted, important people have done very important things, changing humanity forever and banking some days memorializing their feats. But, we each change humanity--for better or for worse--every moment of every day.

So, perhaps this year is the year to live every day as you do a holiday.  Memorialize the day, a beautiful moment in the day.  These days, it's as good as a holiday if you take a moment in the day to stop.  Put down your smart phone, turn off the television and simply breathe in the day and all that it has so graciously given.  Because this, my friends, is the greatest gift of all.