People go through all kinds of phases before finally coming to rest in the seat of their own wisdom. I'm sure that there are a lot of people out there who hate holidays. I'm no exception, because I used to be one of those people.
For a long time I saw Thanksgiving as just another lie agreed upon that benefits the food, travel and retail industries. I didn't celebrate it for a couple of years as some sort of protest. Now, I see things a little differently.
Sidebar:
That Folgers Coffee commercial just came on. The son comes home early in the morning and wakes the whole family with the aroma from a fresh pot of coffee and the mom and dad jump out of bed like, "He's here." The guy gives his sister a gift and she takes the bow off and places it on his shirt saying, "You are my gift."
I think that drives home the whole point, but not in the cliched warm and fuzzy way that you may think. Imagine the backstory on this guy: Maybe he's starting out in his own career and hasn't been home in forever. He doesn't call because he's trying to start his own life and when you're young, the more distance you put between you and where you started, the more you feel free--a necessary thing for personal growth.
So anyway, the dude probably didn't really want to go home. Maybe his family felt dejected because they didn't see him that much...like he forgot about them. The people at his job kept talking about the holidays, the stores he frequents put up decorations for Thanksgiving the day after labor day and now he feels obligated to go.
My grandfather died a month or so ago and even though we weren't really close or affectionate when I was growing up, he always seemed so excited to see me during the last year or two of his life. I felt weird when I realized that I had that much value to someone. It also made me feel kind of bad to realize that my not coming around was essentially the same as denying someone a present that cost me nothing.
So, back to young Johnny (whatever the guy's name is in the commercial). If you cast aside the history of the holidays (and the money that companies make off them) and just take them at face value, they aren't really that bad. I can't hate the fact that people have agreed upon a day where despite whatever is going on in your life at that moment, you have to drop everything and fulfill that promissory note that you took out years ago when you first allowed someone to love you. There's no shame in paying it back with your presence at the table or gathering around the tree.
So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...from the guy who used to think that it was stupid.
I'm thankful for the insight that tells me just how much of a good thing I've got going with my life.
Wow. :)
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