Thanksgiving has a sketchy past. But being thankful is always good for us.

“‎You cannot correct an old person every time they say something offensive. You would never make it through Thanksgiving dinner!”
― Stephen Colbert

“Here in Britain, of course, it’s Thank F*** We Got Those Weird Jesus Bastards On The Boat Day”
― Warren Ellis

“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.”
― Jon Stewart

“If you think you are enlightened; go home for Thanksgiving.”
― Ram Dass

“love
iz
a
big
fat
turkey
and
every
day
iz
thanksgiving” – Charles Bukowski

I’m happy it’s not my job to find out who’s naughty or nice. My job, on the other hand, is to say ‘Thank you’ and ‘You’re welcome’. For the past 30 years I have made a list on this day. It was a mundane list of what needed to be done for tomorrow. The list was a list of work that I had to do.

I have been a bit out of sorts when it comes to holidays. Holidays were always about the food and I was always the cook. Well I can’t manage that as well anymore without some very solid recipes and frankly I just really don’t enjoy food centric celebrations since the thrill went away with the arrival of anosmia.

This year though, I’m writing a new list. And I’ll be adding to it all day. The starting point, as always, is 0: thank you for the opportunity to create another day.

1. The highly enjoyable book I just finished. I’m not very scholarly in my entertainment reading. Give me happy endings, wuv tchwooo wuv, laughter, magic and good vibes to end my day. Delemhach – out of Canada – wrote the one I finished last night.
2. Uncovering my birds before dawn with their sleepy chortles of greeting.
3. Sneaking out in the dawn’s first light to leave seed (shhh) for the birds outside, while the crows greet me from overhead, the hot air balloons drift down towards their landing spot in the local pharmacy’s parking lot, and the Sandhill Cranes head back to the Rio Grande.
4. Turning on the KPop music stream and watching the parakeet – Sunshine – dance about in their cage while I get something to eat and drink after getting all the birds cleaned up, fed, and watered.
5. I don’t have this one yet but this list will grow as the day moves on. I will be cooking once again but not one traditional Thanksgiving feast item will be included except, by request, jellied cranberry sauce out of a can. Because that’s the only traditional part of dinner that was enjoyed by all.

I’m off to pre-cook some Thanksgiving. I have no idea what it will taste like but I’m using recipes with my daughters’ help. Last year I didn’t even try. Wish us luck! I will be back on Friday because I am putting Black Friday weekend shopping in time-out.

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not I wish you a weekend full of reasons to say thank you. That’s our job. We can leave the determination of who deserves rewards to Santa Claus.