Thankful beyond Comparison
‘Everything doesn’t need to be a thing. We are all important enough already. Life is sufficiently complex. There is already great meaning in simple things if you pay attention. There is no need to make food or drink or sports or toddler birthday parties so ostentatious and grand that we garner undeserved meaning from them.’ Dicks, Matthew. “Everything doesn’t need to be a thing” https://matthewdicks.com/2016-3-22-yb7lwpmq45bwntbjldw9ot9cupc549/
I love this quote, probably because I am old enough to remember a time when everything wasn’t a thing. There are 6 days until Thanksgiving and 33 days until Christmas, not that I’m counting. The excitement of the holiday season that I long for, that I try to cross everything off my list so that I can feel once more seems to get better and better at evading me. In its place is rushing, panic and busyness for the sake of busyness.
Is a perfectly curated playlist, a signature cocktail and magazine worthy decor required to enjoy the holidays? When I think back to my childhood, it was real. There was clutter on the counters surrounding the Thanksgiving table, dishes in the sink and the mess created from preparing a beautiful home cooked meal was all genuine and perfectly imperfect. I didn't enjoy those meals less because we didn't have matching holiday outfits and an elaborate tablescape. The focus was on spending time with family and feeling thankful for the abundance on the table. There was no obligation to share with the world what a wonderful time we had, how good the turkey looked or how many pies we had on the table for dessert. I miss those days. This year I'm hosting Thanksgiving and I vow to make it real. I will not go crazy with perfect table decor, I will not obsess about having matching everything, I will not photograph or post my 'perfect' holiday. I will not move clutter out of the way to create the perception that my home exists in an alternate universe where everything happens like magic without dirty dishes and pot holders, dish towels and trash. I want the day to feel like the days of my childhood when we just looked forward to a home cooked meal, to stuffing our faces and then napping on the couch before taking an after dinner walk. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and remember, everything doesn’t need to be a thing.