Turkey Day
It’s that time of year again.
The time of year when millions of Americans sit around a table and share they’re thankful for while trying not to salivate at the festively decorated feast sitting before them. With the sweet aroma of a roasted turkey stuffed with bread crumbs, onions, celery, salt, and pepper now invading you’re nostrils, when asked what you’re thankful for, all you can think off is, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
And, of course, by “you” I mean “me.”
I’m not a huge fan of being put on the spot in front of a bunch of people I’ve never seen before and asked what I treasure most in the world. Being put on the spot makes me nervous, and the food begging me to dig in make me hungry. Nervous and hungry is never a good combination.
For that reason, when it’s time to share the thanks that we’ve all been bottling up for about a year, my stomach does somersaults. I know that when it’s my turn, I’ll say something humorous but stupid, granting me a disapproving frown from my mother.
Don’t believe me? One Thanksgiving, I got so nervous that I said the first thing that popped into my head. With distant relatives and their unfamiliar friends peering at me from all angles, I innocently said, “I’m thankful for cheese.” I realized later that a bowl of macaroni and cheese sitting before me might have played a small role in my choice of words.
So what are you thankful for?
A break from school?
The semester’s soon coming end?
Friends? Family? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?
The Indians that taught you how to survive the winter?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Cheese?
Whatever it is that you’re thankful for, I hope that you’re ready to share it despite the nervousness and hunger. And I hope that God is at the top of your list – not of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving, but of things to be thankful for all 365.242199 days of the year.
Last, but not least, thank the turkey in the middle of your table. Though it may simply look like a decapitated delicacy, roasted to perfection and stuffed to your delight, the turkey gave its life so that students can get out of school, people can get out of work, families can come together, and everyone can get great deals at Walmart.