I largely fasted this Thanksgiving.
This is a different approach for many Americans, though it was one advocated by Benjamin Franklin.
Though I abstained from turkey and cranberries and stuffing, I don’t ant to lose track of a more important part of the holiday, being thankful.
I originally was planning on composing a facetious list of thanks that would include true but bizarre thanks (indicating my love of Pez dispensers and the smell of gasoline). I decided to drop that idea, however, and compose a quick, brief list of things that I am profusely thankful for. So here we go…
Five Things I’m Seriously Thankful For
5) I am thankful for the ability to find a glimmer of humor in even the darkest situations. Some may call it gallows humor, some may consider it a severe mental defect, but whatever it may be, this coping mechanism keeps me laughing through the darkest of nights.4) While my checking account is sickly and I have more foreign currency in my wallet than American (my uncle creeded me all his spare change after his most recent trip from China), I am thankful for the fact I really have no outstanding debts. No outstanding college loans, no car payments, no medical bills. I’m not red yet.
3) I am thankful I’m in a country that grants great personal liberties to its citizens. I’ve got a whole case of rights, and though I may not choose to employ all of them, I am thrilled I can entertain the option. Freedom of speech, religion, to bear arms, to arm bears, it’s all written out in ink (and except for the whole Prohibition whoopsie, we largely aim to expand, rather than limit them). So there you have it, a legislative permit to continue your pursuit of happiness (whoever he or she may be).
2) In a seriously deranged world, I am thankful for a God that hasn’t lost track of me amidst the madness. With all my habits, I don’t think I would have made it this far without his preserving hand. Think about it; I certainly do.
1) I am thankful for my friends and family who put up with my eccentric, eclectic nature. I am very rich for all the joys and memories they have given me.
Thanks.
said...
If I was a)American and b)not mildly hypoglycemic, I too would fast on Thanksgiving and concentrate on the underlying meaning of it (although I'm not sure if your abstinence from food was purely of your own volition - are you feeling any better now??) Also, I would love to have the faculty of finding humour (excuse the spelling - I'm British!) in very bleak situations, so good on you for identifying this as a quality to be thankful for!
A
Caleb Michael said...
I'd been contemplating the fast about the same time my stomach started acting up. The motivation may not have been the purest, but it was well meant.
Split the difference, and I still come across pretty well.
(And don't worry about the spelling. I think many British spellings are preferable; especially the transposed –re endings as in “theatre” or “spectre.” And considering how often people run their comments through spel checkers before posting them, most won’t even notice an extra letter or two anyway).