Today is Thanksgiving and it’s a time to be thankful but sometimes that’s a little hard because maybe you’re dealing with a big bunch of bullshit, or maybe you have to see relatives that you already know are sharpening their tongues, or maybe you’re depressed and you feel bad for not feeling ecstatically thankful for all the wonderful things you’ve been blessed with but the rest of the world is all “BE FUCKING THANKFUL! BE PERFECT! COOK AND TAKE A SHOWER AND OWN MORE THAN FOUR PAIRS OF MATCHING PLATES, YOU HEATHEN.” And then you feel rebelliously ungrateful out of pure spite and then you get mad because FUCK, THEY’RE WINNING IF WE’RE UNHAPPY (they = assholes) so then you realize you’re fucked either way.
But you’re not.
Because today is just a day. And maybe you are lucky enough to spend it with a houseful of people you adore and everything is perfect and you love to cook and your brain chemistry is lovely and you don’t have to pretend to be sick to avoid a terrible relative or lock yourself in a bathroom to keep yourself from strangling a bitter great-aunt and if this is you then, you know what? I’m happy for you. I’m grateful you exist because that means there’s hope for the rest of us. And anyway, who says today is the day you have to be thankful. I’m cheerfully thankful for my life and blessings on uncomplicated non-Thanksgiving days all the time and I never get credit for that so technically I just celebrate Thanksgiving early and often and on days when my brain works correctly and there is no pressure and I can just be with the family I love and not feel weirdly guilty about bullshit I can’t control.
If this doesn’t make sense you should consider yourself grateful (pun totally intended) because that means that you are either very lucky and should enjoy this day to the max, or it just means you’re not crazy enough to understand. Either way, things are working out for you.
And for the rest of us?
Baby steps. What one small thing that you sometimes take for granted are you thankful for?
Me first. I’m thankful that kittens and sloths exist. I’m thankful that you are here. I’m thankful that my daughter was happy with the fact that I can’t cook to save my life, but I can help her sculpt turkeys.
Technically those are three things but I’m also thankful that this is my post so I can break the rules and share as much as I want. And you can too.
Just know that you are not alone. Even if you are by yourself. Even if you feel alone in a crowded room. Even if you’re one of the weirdos who actually enjoys this day with no hesitations or grief or complications. You are not alone. You are with us. And I’m so grateful for that.