Happy Turkey Day

Heading home for Thanksgiving last year was an exciting event- I sat next to Jesse Jackson on the plane back from Syracuse. Yes, that Jesse Jackson. So there I am next to this living legend, and all I can think to say is- "Oh." Seriously. That's all I said. I think I laughed a few times, this nervous giggle, when he said something about it being Thanksgiving. Up until our flight took off, his phone was ringing off the hook...literally every five seconds, and then we're up in the air. Silence. I remember thinking that this man (towering and impressive) had only this short hour and a half to himself with a plane full of passengers. I felt this odd sense of compassion towards him; I got to share his privacy for just a few moments.

Turkey day this year stands for so many different things. I am going home to my friends and family. I am going home to rest and relaxation. I get a week of blissful privacy among the people I love most. I don't think that I have ever truly contemplated what I was thankful for on Thanksgiving. It simply represented loud family gatherings and incredibly dry turkey (it's not my mother's best). Now, I feel as though I have gained an appreciation for everything that I should have paid tribute to in the past. For the first time, Thanksgiving is what it should be- a celebration.

So riddle me this: What are you thankful for this year?

I am thankful that I am alive and that I have lived almost twenty years of my life. I am thankful that I have a family that loves me. I am thankful that I have fabulous friends- both at school and college. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and food to eat (even if it's shitty dining hall food). I am thankful that I am growing up...even if the separation from childhood is a little difficult at time.

I am truly just thankful...that I am happy.

I wish that I could describe everything that I am so grateful for. Sometimes, I just get this wonderful feeling of joie de vie. And sure, it's cliché and nutty and disgustingly mushy...but life is pretty sweet these days. And I am truly thankful that I am allowed to have all this. I spend so much time complaining and wishing about what I want or what I could have that many times I forget what matters most- what I do have.

The things that we are given, the people that are in our lives- these are the true gifts that life offers us. And I would ask everyone to remember that. To remember that everything that is good in our lives makes up the material of our existence.

I know, I know...I'm two seconds away from branching into some awful sort of mainstream movie monologue...but hey sometimes jumping on the band wagon isn't so bad kiddies. I am just happy to be going home. I am just excited to see my parents. To sleep in my own bed. To shower without shower shoes. To play with my dog. To attempt to cook the 15 pound turkey my mom has bought me (I volunteered after watching the food network for too long and becoming obsessed with Bobby Flay). To read a book that isn't school related. To go to lunch with my best friends. To talk football with my aunt. To sit on my front porch. To forget about finals.

It's all there waiting for me. And I can't wait. Happy Turkey Day to one and all! Enjoy.