Thanksgiving: Food and More

It's Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving! It's all about eating and shopping, two things I am very good at, hence my maxed out credit cards and obesity. I jest. Kind of. Thanksgiving, its about food and SO MUCH MORE!...

Americans, despite their ignorance to it, are some of the riches individuals on the planet. We rarely give a passing thought to our basic needs, (food, water, shelter, clothing). Our houses are spacious with heat and air. Food is a half mile down the road and available 24 hours a day. Heck most things are available 24 hours a day. Just ask Jake at State Farm. Cause you NEED to be able to get a quote for home owners insurance at 3am. Or Taco Bell. Yes you NEED that 4th meal at 2am. Or Walmart. I actually have no idea what you are going to Walmart for at 4am. You NEED the new IPhone. An updated graphics card. A Coach purse. A new SUV with optional 3rd row seating and navigation system. Our 'needs" are imagined egocentric wants that we satisfy instantaneously, instagramming any hindrance or barrier we encounter while sipping our spiced latte...#firstworldproblems.


On Thanksgiving we feast and gorge ourselves on deep fried turkey, loaded mashed potatoes,
cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes topped with golden brown marshmallows, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, corn bread casserole, hashbrown casserole (Yum. Melinda, please make this when you come to me house!), pumpkin pie, pecan pie...well that's the menu at my house anyway (Confession: I really like casseroles.) Then we head out the door to fight the masses for a 70 inch Panasonic that's been discounted 30% for one night only (Spoilers: The same TV will be on the same sell 3 weeks later, and if you wait til February, right before the Super Bowl, it will probably be even cheaper. Don't kill the messenger. Just Saying). Somewhere between the our post feast nap and the Dallas Cowboy's game we have lost the true focus of the holiday. It is an unfortunate truth that Thanksgiving has become a celebration of gluttony. I am as guilty as the next. I have every intention of pushing my "Thanksgiving Pants" and my wallet to their limit, but that is not the what Thanksgiving is about.

So if Thanksgiving isn't about turkey and midnight madness sales, what is it about? At its core, Thanksgiving is about contentment. "BUT WAIT!" you say, "I thought Thanksgiving was about thankfulness and gratitude." And it is, but thankfulness starts with contentment. If someone said to you, "I appreciate all you do but could you do more?" would you interpret that as sincere gratitude? NO. You wouldn't. Cause it isn't. That. Is lip service. But that is exactly what we do on Thanksgiving. A prayer of thankfulness muttered through our mouthful of Grandma's famous calorie laced delicious casserole as we head out the door to get more. Contentment is the state of happiness you feel when you are satisfied. When you are satisfied do you need more? No. You don't. When you are satisfied you stop seeking fulfillment. and when you stop seeking fulfillment you can start celebrating your happiness with appreciation. That is what Thanksgiving is about.

And yet, ours is society that chronically consumes, always wanting more. Contentment is neither celebrated nor taught. I struggle with contentment as much as the next.  It's hard to be satisfied when the world is telling us we need more, More, MORE! I love Thanksgiving because it stands for something our society has forgotten about. Contentment.

So it's Thanksgiving. I may not have the most functional of families or the coolest friends. In fact, my extended family is the posterchild for dysfunction, and my immediate family, well let's just say we are gonna fake it til we make it. My friends are nerds, just like me. I don't have the nicest of homes or cars. In fact, my house is small and dirty and horrible for entertaining. We don't have a foyer or a laundry room. If you have the washing machine on you can't hear the TV, same for the kitchen sink. We can't afford a cleaning service so my bathrooms get cleaned and my floor gets mopped approx. once a millenia. My furniture and my carpet are stained and my kitchen table is falling apart. When I plug my cellphone in I have to hold the cord just right and slowly and evenly lower it onto the table or it won't charge. I have to keep my WOW (World of Warcraft) graphic settings on fair because I only have a 4 year laptop to play it on and if I turn the settings up it will crash my system, and it won't run DAD (Dungeons and Dragons) at all. But I am healthy. I have never been hungry. I have a home and a car and a job with healthcare and retirement benefits. I have a beautiful family and friends who love me and could careless about where I live or the car I drive or the stains on my carpet. I have indoor plumbing and toilet paper. I have chap stick. I have music. I have Netflix. I have coffee AND wine! I don't have everything I want but I do have more than I need. I have counted my blessing and I rejoice with thanksgiving for what the Lord has given to me. I am content.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

*Gobble Gobble Gobble*