Thanksgiving

Another year down. Last year I wrote a lengthy three-part post regarding my adventures on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the special gathering I spend each year following it.

I realize now re-reading those posts that there is a lo I glossed over. But I think I'll save those stories for another time. This year had some of the bes weather of any parade I've worked, whereas last year was hands down the worst.

A new woman on our crew put it a way that I thought was interesting, "I worked the balloons last year and it sucked, I can't imagine what it would have been like for people doing this last year." Hehe. Some of the best compliments come in that form, I think.

I'm was in worse shape starting this parade with the remnants of a head cold, which I seems to developed to a full on cough and congestion thing, HOWEVER, I think I feel better today than the friday after Thanksgiving last year. Not-raining is a new type of weather for me, and we had 24 floats, down from 30 last year. I'm still sore all over, I have a nasty scratch on my hand from a crane cable that wasn't taped on the sharp edges, and a few bruises... all in all a good parade work-out.

Some highlights from last year's write up that are still applicable today.

Thanksgiving holds a special place for me in that after Parade I'm welcomed into some dear friends' home. Every year this gets harder for me. This people have known me for close to a decade, and in that time they've seen me through a lot. To repeatedly spend a holiday with them brings us closer all. I may not see them for over a year afterwards, but we all seem to know that in a very real way spending this time together makes us a quirky sort of family - with all the burdens and jys that bears.

Bev, and Karen, and Jess, and Craig, and a bunch of others toil away for 3 days to make the most amazing spread you've ever seen. But that isn't what makes it so great. What makes it so great is that this entire group are mostly people that see me for about 5 hours a year. They welcome me (and others) into their home and celebration and don't think twice about the smelly, nasty, delirious people that just walked in he door. This is normal. This is expected.

At this point I start to lose focus. Talk of the years events. Talk of parade. Some staring off into space for myself. The entire place just goes out of its way to radiate comfort, and welcome.

An this entire episode, from Veselka's diner to the end of Thanksgiving dinner does a lot to put things in perspective. Sure, work encompasses a lot of my life. Maybe I've lost some things dear to me over the year. Maybe life is tough and stressful. But once a year I can put all that aside for three days (I do nothing on friday) and really remember what its all about, in a way I don't think very many can.

Thank you to all who make my Thanksgiving a unique, extraordinary, colorful experience every year!

This is almost exactly like it was this year, wonderful. The Mitchell's have a new son, and we reinstated a tradition from Thanksgivings past that I Really enjoy. We went around the room saying what we were thankful for. I'm thankful for that gathering where it is both understood that I am welcome, and where they understand that post-parade I am not in top shape intellectually or physically, for good weather this year, and for my new-ish career, that I am seeing success in and happy in.

In truth I'm thankful for a lot more too. Those are just the things that sprung to mind at the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!