giving thanks

My years as a waitress have ruined me for holidays. I've come to think of them as more or less ordinary days. The only difference is that people feel sorry for you that you have to work and they tip just a little bit better. Frankly, I always felt sorry for them, these people who spent their holidays in restaurants. Instead of football and playful grandchildren, they heard the din of crashing plates and fussy babies. They had decent food with minimal effort, sure, but there were no real leftovers and their houses never filled with the warm welcoming smells of cooking. They were hustled in and hurried out, no time to relax and reflect upon their blessings.

In my second life at the newspaper I learned again that the world doesn't stop when the calendar says so. Mine was chiefly a day job so I could get away more often, but I did so knowing I had left people behind. Holidays meant mediocre potlucks in the break room and marginally earlier deadlines. The world rolled on.

This marks my second only Thanksgiving since my husband bought my freedom from the real world. And of course, as part of the price, he's at work. In the meanwhile, I've been out being fed by friends. Overfed, really. I'm so ready for a nap but seeing that it's getting late I guess I'll just be going to bed.

Before I go, in the spirit of the holiday, I'll quickly review my top 5 blessings.

1. My handsome, generous, kind hearted husband who thinks everything I do is cute (especially the obnoxious stuff)
2. My friends, so intelligent, entertaining, and sincere, who include me in their busy lives despite my anti-social*, judgmental*, nut-busting* tendencies (*all actual adjectives used by others to describe me...)
3. My freaky family, who totally get me because they are me, and who phone often enough that they don't feel as far away as they are
4. My freedom, which is really thanks to my husband
5. My health, priceless

Those were so cliche I think I'm going to barf. Or maybe that's just cuz I ate two dinners.

A more interesting list would have been the one I came up with when challenged by my eldest nieces to name 5 foods I'd want (in unlimited supply) on a deserted island. I loved how complicated it became to decide. After agonizing comparisons of chocolate and mangoes, potatoes and pineapples, avocados and carrots, I finally came up with my rough draft. Only then was it established that water was not already on the island so of course I had to eliminate one of my carefully selected choices. Then, as we revealed our lists, I learned that although our islands lacked water they apparently had refrigeration (for Zoe's ice cream) and tools for slaughter (for Sadie's cows). I felt betrayed, eating my avocados, mangoes, tomatoes, and potatoes while my nieces enjoyed burgers, bread, and milk shakes.