Belated Thanksgiving Post

I wanted to do one of these before the holiday and did not because I wasn't able to clearly articulate my thoughts. You see, a lot about Thanksgiving as a national holiday is annoying to me. Those of you in my close circle of friends already know that many things annoy me (John - I know you used my fountain pen to write out a BAGEL list of all things the other night. Don't laugh, honey. It isn't funny. At least write some terrible haiku or something.) and, for some reason, Thanksgiving has been added to the list.

I am already aware this is not going to come across very well and I am going to look like a curmudgeon, but so be it. Those of you who know me well will thankfully just chalk it up as my general ridiculousness.* and **

Thanksgiving is personally frustrating because my conscience should not have to be seared by the federal government to be thankful for what I have whilst gorging on food. The cliche' Thanksgiving statements "I'm so thankful for my family, my friends, my health, blah, blah, blah" drive me insane. They make me feel more shallow than I already am. What I should be saying, not only to myself but to everyone around me, is that I am thankful I have been saved from myself. I am thankful someone like John decided to marry me in spite of my selfish and prideful nature. I am thankful that my sometimes wierdo family (not the kidlets or John) isn't as messed up as other people's wierdo families and we realize we are forever connected regardless of how much we send each other to the brink. I am thankful I am literally surrounded by friends who love me, my husband, and my kids so deeply they don't mind putting up with our shenanigans. I am thankful I was not born into poverty or abuse. I am thankful I have led a sheltered life full of privilege. I am thankful God loves me and my family and my friends even though we are all a mess.

Good grief. I need to chill out and just consider the holiday a fun vacation day with the fam.

That's the scoop and the post still is unsatisfactory for some reason. Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

*This is NOT meant to be a commentary on you. You all live and think more deeply than I.
**I still like all the stuff about the Pilgrims. Regardless of what the Revisionist Historians say about the feast, I'm still impressed of their bravery of abandoning everything they knew and going to a new world. Pretty amazing.