Every year on the last Thursday of November, a smile draws across your face as you sit down to watch the Macy’s Day parade, excited for what the day has in store.
Then, spend an hour getting all dressed up to take Holiday pictures and well and impress those family members you see twice a year.
You take in the aromas that fill the home, excited to sit down for a fun family feast.
You watch the clock — tik, tik, tik — as the cousins yell into the kitchen, “is it time to eat yet?!”
As a society, we build up our appetites all day to sit down to this absolutely joyous meal, known to be the BEST OF THE BEST.
In fact, we build up the entire month of November for this meal! College students take the trek home, families fly cross-country, Supermarkets fill their shelves with all the ingredients to make the perfect Thanksgiving feast at home.
And then, the time finally comes.
A beautiful Turkey is presented onto the table as Grandpa gets ready to carve.
You fill your plate with every color of the rainbow waiting for what seems like an eternity for the rest of your family members to be seated too.
In your mind, an hour has passed when the cue to dig in finally comes.
Your eyes LIGHT UP as you lift your fork stacked with mashed potatoes, gravy, a bit of turkey, and some cranberry sauce!
You can just smell the goodness. THIS — THIS is going to be the best meal yet. Dare one say, the best meal of your life.
Your mouth is watering, you open wide to take in your magnificent ensemble of nutrients.
You close your eyes and taste the textures on your tongue, allowing each flavor to fill your mouth.
And…
The mashed potatoes are kind of powdery,
the turkeys a little dry,
and the cranberry sauce has a weird zing to it.
You remember that you don’t actually like gravy and oh, the pie crust is burnt too.
Your magnificent feast is a strong…“OK”.
You clear your plate, of course, but is this your dubbed “last meal on earth” choice? Definitely not.
A solid 5/10 would eat again.
Still, you remember why you anticipate Thanksgiving every year: the company.
You linger around the table for hours chatting with your favorite aunt and listening to your grandparents’ stories of, “Back when I was your age…”
You laugh, you smile, maybe get a little headache from all the commotion. But in the end, you leave feeling satisfied.
No matter who you are celebrating Thanksgiving with this year, or how underwhelming your Thanksgiving food may be, it’s a holiday to celebrate connections, a time to be thankful for your given family, or family of choice, both near and far.