pjthompson: (Default)
Two days late, but better than not being grateful at all. Actually, I thought about most of this on the day, just was too bilious to write it up.

I heard somewhere this week—and I can't remember now if it was LJ, TV, NPR, or some other acronym—that this American holiday is rather unique in the world. Forget about the fact that most people think of it as an excuse to eat too much, watch football, and engage in shopppping frenzy—a significant number of us do use it to pause and make note of the things in our lives that make us feel grateful. "For five minutes, at least," said this person I can't remember, "we're better people."

ETA: The inestimable [livejournal.com profile] kmkibble75 reminded me it was the inestimable [livejournal.com profile] hkneale who said this about Thanksgiving. Sorry I forgot my source, Heidi. It was a lovely sentiment—and Heidi said it much better than I.

The flip side of that, of course, was a local news story I saw on Thanksgiving Day covering people who have a big family motorcycle/ATV rally out in the desert every T-Day. They showed one little guy (couldn't have been more than about seven) in his racing leathers with his child-sized motorcycle (which is a whole separate post in itself).

Reporter: Do you know what day this is?
Kid: It's Thanksgiving.
Reporter: Do you know what Thanksgiving is?
Kid: It's a day when we're thankful.
Reporter: Thankful for what?
Kid: For turkey.


I guess I'm thankful for turkey, too (about once a year), but here's some other stuff for which I'm grateful (in no particular order):

Gracias. )

Thankful

Nov. 24th, 2005 12:42 pm
pjthompson: (Default)
I'm thankful for the basics this year: a roof over my head, sufficient to eat, clothes, a job, a way of getting around town, a space in which to do my creative stuff. Because I've been reminded throughout the year in big ways and small that these things are hard to come by for a lot of folks in this world, and easy to lose through bad luck, bad timing, Nature (human and otherwise). I am oh-so-far away from rich by American standards, but compared with three-quarters of the world's population, I live like a princess.

And I've been thinking a lot about that other part of the world—some of it right here in this country, which is pretty much the gold standard for high living. There's enough wealth to go around. We should all share more, according to our means. I hope to share more in the coming year, as much as I can.

I think about Frank Garcia, a local restaurateur (Casa Escobar) who out of his own pocket every Thanksgiving feeds a traditional dinner to anyone who wants to show up at his restaurant. Last year, his parking lot wasn't big enough to hold all the people who came to his dinner so this year he's rented a local concert venue to get them all in—an estimated 15,000 people. He says he does it because he grew up poor and knew what it was like to go without on Thanksgiving, and because life has been good to him (he worked hard for it, too) and he wants to say thank you.

"I see a lot of people," he said, "who are so poor all they've got is money."

I am thankful for people like Frank Garcia.

I am thankful for people who don't believe it's hip to be cynical and cool; who think it's okay to let your feelings show sometimes. I am thankful to care, and thankful for everyone who cares.

I am thankful for my friends, in town and out, online and off, and the friendship they have given me this year. I hope I have returned it in full measure. I hope to keep on swapping it in the coming year.

Thank you. Life has been good to me. Has it been good to you? Then, please, pass it on...and be thankful.

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