It’s Thanksgiving today in Canada, and I’ve just enjoyed two solid days of delicious family dinners.
I tell you what, there is no more comforting food in my life than a nice mound of mashed potatoes with a nest in the middle for my peas (or corn, if necessary) and a cesspool of gravy.
Poor Kyle can’t stand the thought of eating peas in the same bite as mashed potatoes, but as for me, I don’t even bother eating mashed potatoes if I can’t crunch down on a few peas at the same time. Poor Kyle, in case you couldn’t tell, is not a food mixer. He eats very systematically—all the mashed potatoes and gravy, all the peas, all the green bean casserole, and finally, all the turkey (saving the best for last, of course). Me, I dip my turkey in gravy and acquire a few peas along the way, and if some stuffing sneaks its way into my salad, well, not to worry, it probably just adds to the flavour (although I don’t care for stuffing and never take any, so that scenario is highly unlikely).
Anyway, it was good to celebrate.
In lieu of the holiday, it seems ungrateful to write about anything else besides what I’m thankful for, so that’s what I’ll do today:
-My family, who loves me so much that when I announced Poor Kyle and I wouldn’t be coming down to Mesa for Christmas due to funding shortfalls, came right back with the announcement that they would make up the difference and get us down there no matter what.
-My pride, which I do still have, and the fact that it enabled me to turn down the generous offer. Because really, no. But it’s good to be loved.
-My husband, who thinks I’m silly for going to school when I don’t really want to, but who nevertheless does not utter a word of complaint about my exorbitant tuition fees every October and February for what feels like the rest of my life. Also, he supports my blog in a major way, and without his support—his faithful reading, commenting, tech-ing, and spell-checking—I’m sure I would’ve given up ages ago.
-His parents, who are so good to us, and his mom especially, who, really, when I think about it, is my only non-husband friend in this country. That’s both scary and comforting—comforting, because it’s good to have at least one; and scary, because she’s a snowbird now and will soon be flying south for the winter and then what will I do when I need chocolate? I’ll have to buy some, I guess.
-Chocolate, which is my constant companion, whether physically or just spiritually—it is the same. Chocolate is dear to me.
–DDP, specifically the 12-pack with which I had a sordid affair last week, but now is dead and gone. I will miss you, DDP; I shall never forget the good times we had together in the darkest corner of the university library at the crack of freaking dawn last week. You made the cold so much more bearable. I loved you.
-My willpower, which is all I’ve got to get me through the next few weeks of withdrawal pains I’ll be suffering on account of ending the love affair with DDP. I think I’m addicted, and that’s a scary thing. So it has to end.
-Spell-check, which just alerted me that “withdrawal” is spelled “withdrawAl,” whereas all my life I thought it was “withDRAWL,” and you know, that’s just unsettling. But at the same time, it’s good to know the proper form.
-Bobby pins.
And lastly…
-Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm, which makes summer more joyful and winter more hopeful. Without it, I would be lost in the world, with very chapped lips to boot. Please, Burt’s Bees, don’t ever discontinue this product. I beg you.
Oh, and one more thing. It sounds so cliche, but really, I am so thankful for the health I enjoy, and for the good health of my family. It might not always be this way—health is a fast-changing condition, I’ve learned—so right this minute, when everyone I love dearly is alive and fairly well, I want to remember what it’s like, because who knows how long it will last? My blog-friend Alexa is struggling with her husband in ICU right now, and he’s so young—what, just 25? That’s younger than my own husband. I’m not quite sure what sent him there in the first place, but since he’s been there, he’s suffered a stroke and has lost the use of half his body. Temporarily, permanently, the details are fuzzy, but I’ve been so worried about them ever since I heard. It’s the first time I’ve ever been compelled to pray for a blog friend—I’ve never had a relationship or “connection” with any blogger who has asked for prayers, but this one has weighed heavily on my mind. If you know Alexa or read her blog, please be thinking of her during this hard time.
