Thanksgiving is that time of year where we eat turkey and give thanks. When I was a kid, the Turkey Wishbone Thing was kind of a big deal. You know, where you and some other person would grab an end of the wishbone, make a wish, and pull. Sometimes really hard. Sometimes it would almost come to physical blows. And the person with the pointy end when the bone snapped was supposed to get their wish. When you are a kid, magical thinking plays a large part in your life. It would be really nice if that is how life worked and you could just get your wishes granted that way. Or would it?
I have often thought about what my life would have been like if everything I had ever wished for had come to pass. Some things, I am sure, would have been fantastic. But then, other things not so much. Like when you look back and say to yourself, “Wow, dodged a bullet on THAT one.” And we all have THAT one. You know you do. Some things, no matter how badly you want them, or think you might need them, are really not meant to be part of your life. The thing of it is that if you yield to that gracefully, something will come in to fill the void and you say to yourself, “Oh, that is what was supposed to happen. Duh.”
The part about Thanksgiving that I like as an adult is the actual giving thanks part. I like to take some time and think about what I have to be thankful for. And what it all usually boils down to is my family, friends and clients. I have been so very fortunate for all the people in my life. Because I know some seriously great people. So if you are reading this, thank you.
Like most years, Thanksgiving is at my house. We will, of course, have turkey (and brussels sprouts, among other things). And I will let other people do the Wishbone Thing. Because I really don’t need to make any wishes. I just need to be grateful.
