Reading harold_maude's journal

It's early monday morning. Almost the end of Novemember. I barely realized that Thanksgiving is almost here.
I had forgotten entirely until just a couple of days ago...

I seem to do that with alot of things. Forget completely.
In my world, much of what is considered normal for the rest of the world is often forgotten by me because of the simple truth that much of it is just there.

It's been that way for a long time.
Especially things that require alot of people being involved.
If most of it actually ment something other than a reason to spend money, maybe it would be easier to remember.

Thanksgiving. Long ago, so history tells us, The very first one was a significant mile stone of celebration because a group of people had survived.
They were greatful, and wanted to celebrate and so they invited their new friends who had helped them to join in the celebration.

And they wanted to remember their survival, so they set aside a day after the harvest and remembered it, year after year.
Kids in school learn all about it.
But as kids grow up, something changes.
They forget why it's there, and it becomes this insane rush of going grocery shopping, getting family together and feeding like crazy, until everyone looks like the bird that is normally eaten only two times a year.

If t.v. is part of the ritual, then it's parades, and football and maybe a movie as dessert.

A far cry from where it started. I think the only real thing that remains from the orginal celebration is the bird.

I think it would be more appropate to call it over eating with bird day or something more in line with what it is now.
At least that would be closer to what it really is now.

To be greatful in a world where survial is something on going for many, and so daily for many that a turkey or a bird to eat on the day is either impossible or a huge chunk out of the food budget.
To be greatful, now that is something that doesn't require a turkey, only the realization of something you could loose at any given moment.
And given that, making it through another day should be reason to celebrate, by remembering and not forgetting.
If you want to throw a party in there somewhere, that's a personal choice.

Why not do something different to help you remember what the day means as a whole.
Something that will remind you why the celebration still is in existance today.
It must have been pretty important to thoes people to want to remember it year after year.

So I guess in the end what I'll be doing this year, is thinking about what I've survived and remember that it was very possible that I might not have.
I have no idea what the food will be.
And that doesn't matter much to me.
Turkey is something I like as a regular part of my meat consumption, that is when I can afford to buy it.
So it goes...

But I do have alot to be thankful for, and in doing that alone, I'm right there with those first people celebrating their survival at a time when doing that for thoes people was pretty amazing.
Worth a big celebration.

It only looks that way because your standing on your head.