Yesterday, jokingly (well, half-jokingly), I attempted to get people to say what they were grateful for. Both times, different groups of people made snarky comments and evaded the "thankfulness" talk. It's funny; I mean I get it. I get that people would generally rather hide in the comfort of a few sarcastic comments and laughs than being sappy, aka: vulnerable and real. I was that way for years; Still am, at times (especially around my family). Maybe we envision happy sunshine hippies going around saying what they are grateful for. Not us, though! Not us realists who live in the real world, for God's sake!
But what is wrong with us all when we are so afraid to let our walls down and to genuinely stop for a minute and say something out loud to the people around us that we appreciate? There's totally nothing wrong with taking a second with our friends or our coworkers (or those that we like, anyway) and say, "Hey, I like you. Thanks for being cool. I'm glad I get to hang out with you."
And when it comes to being even the tiniest bit sappy, why am I so much more comfortable with friends and coworkers than with my family? My family loves me to pieces; there's no doubt about it. Every time we see each other, they talk about how proud they are of my achievements, how funny I was as a kid, the crazy things I got into, etc. And I sit there with very mixed feelings: sort of one part curiosity (wow! was I really that little and crazy? tell me more!) one part sheepishness (ok, can we talk about something or someone else now and stop focusing on me) and one part thankfulness (my parents loved me and thinkI was funny and worth the trip down memory lane). All this love and I feel the most like a sarcastic and quiet and brooding teenager around my family.
I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday if you take it for what it is: a holiday where work (well, my work at least) says, "hey, take two days off and enjoy!" It's a day to appreciate the simple things in life, like slowing down, spending hours in the kitchen smelling good smells, cooking, talking, and, finally, eating homemade turkey, mashed potatoes, yams with mini-marshmallows, the best stuffing in the universe, warm and cozy with your family and friends, eating as much as you like until the button on your jeans might burst and then topping it off with warm pie with vanilla ice cream and a cup of strong coffee.
And I am going to take a few minutes to think about what I am thankful for in my life and everyone should do the same. Because, although I think that sarcasm is great fun, I also think I need to hang up my cloak of sarcasm for at least this day and just be in the moment. As much as a snarky comment rocks, I also believe that being grateful and real is completely healthy for us, emotionally. God, I am a friggin' dork.
Right at this very moment, this is what I am totally grateful for; tomorrow it could be different:
1. I have a family that likes spending time with me.
2. My mother does a mean thanksgiving.
3. I have a job that I can enjoy having a few days off from.
4. Last night, my friend invited me to their apartment to eat a yummy pre-Thanksgiving dinner, drink spiced apple cidar with rum, and watch Black Christmas, which is a fabulous movie!
5. One of my coworkers introduced me to these amazing pretzal bits and cheese sauce at a bar nearby.
6. The other day, I had a "holiday lunch" during the work day with 2 of my friends at work and it was so nice to sit and relax over arepas and not have to rush back right away.
7. I was a bit cranky yesterday, totally woke up on the wrong side of bed, and everyone just let me be cranky.
8. Leslie and Ben might be getting together for real in Parks and Rec.
9. I have a new pair of shoes that I am in love with and am planning on wearing today.
10. I am planning on working out like crazy tomorrow and coming up with a good way to spend my weekend.
It's funny, but I don't think my sarcasm comes through in my writing, but believe me, I am a sarcastic mother fucker in my every day life... that's when I am most comfortable. But maybe I'm learning that that isn't the only thing that I have to be.
But what is wrong with us all when we are so afraid to let our walls down and to genuinely stop for a minute and say something out loud to the people around us that we appreciate? There's totally nothing wrong with taking a second with our friends or our coworkers (or those that we like, anyway) and say, "Hey, I like you. Thanks for being cool. I'm glad I get to hang out with you."
And when it comes to being even the tiniest bit sappy, why am I so much more comfortable with friends and coworkers than with my family? My family loves me to pieces; there's no doubt about it. Every time we see each other, they talk about how proud they are of my achievements, how funny I was as a kid, the crazy things I got into, etc. And I sit there with very mixed feelings: sort of one part curiosity (wow! was I really that little and crazy? tell me more!) one part sheepishness (ok, can we talk about something or someone else now and stop focusing on me) and one part thankfulness (my parents loved me and thinkI was funny and worth the trip down memory lane). All this love and I feel the most like a sarcastic and quiet and brooding teenager around my family.
I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday if you take it for what it is: a holiday where work (well, my work at least) says, "hey, take two days off and enjoy!" It's a day to appreciate the simple things in life, like slowing down, spending hours in the kitchen smelling good smells, cooking, talking, and, finally, eating homemade turkey, mashed potatoes, yams with mini-marshmallows, the best stuffing in the universe, warm and cozy with your family and friends, eating as much as you like until the button on your jeans might burst and then topping it off with warm pie with vanilla ice cream and a cup of strong coffee.
And I am going to take a few minutes to think about what I am thankful for in my life and everyone should do the same. Because, although I think that sarcasm is great fun, I also think I need to hang up my cloak of sarcasm for at least this day and just be in the moment. As much as a snarky comment rocks, I also believe that being grateful and real is completely healthy for us, emotionally. God, I am a friggin' dork.
Right at this very moment, this is what I am totally grateful for; tomorrow it could be different:
1. I have a family that likes spending time with me.
2. My mother does a mean thanksgiving.
3. I have a job that I can enjoy having a few days off from.
4. Last night, my friend invited me to their apartment to eat a yummy pre-Thanksgiving dinner, drink spiced apple cidar with rum, and watch Black Christmas, which is a fabulous movie!
5. One of my coworkers introduced me to these amazing pretzal bits and cheese sauce at a bar nearby.
6. The other day, I had a "holiday lunch" during the work day with 2 of my friends at work and it was so nice to sit and relax over arepas and not have to rush back right away.
7. I was a bit cranky yesterday, totally woke up on the wrong side of bed, and everyone just let me be cranky.
8. Leslie and Ben might be getting together for real in Parks and Rec.
9. I have a new pair of shoes that I am in love with and am planning on wearing today.
10. I am planning on working out like crazy tomorrow and coming up with a good way to spend my weekend.
It's funny, but I don't think my sarcasm comes through in my writing, but believe me, I am a sarcastic mother fucker in my every day life... that's when I am most comfortable. But maybe I'm learning that that isn't the only thing that I have to be.
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