Thankful
Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers, if I have any. It's gonna be a busy holiday for me. I've got a family Thanksgiving dinner this evening, a funeral to attend tomorrow morning (not an unexpected death -- an in-law who was 94 years old and had been suffering from Alzheimer's for the past several years), and then another Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night.
I had to do some grocery shopping yesterday, and let me tell you, the day before Thanksgiving is not a good time to be at the grocery store. Central Market was a total zoo. At one point, while trying to make my way down one of the bakery aisles, I ended up completely blocked in. Two carts were blocking the entire aisle in front of me while their owners stood and chatted for quite some time. Behind me was a long line of people also trying to get down the aisle, so there was nothing to do but stand and wait. The woman directly behind me got impatient and began yelling, "Move it!" while repeatedly bumping her cart into my back until I was literally pinned between my cart and hers. It was very obvious that there was no place for me to "move it" to, and I was so stunned by her rudeness that all I could do was gesture toward the blocked aisle in front of me, which only made her yell, "Well, tell them to move!" Eventually, the people in front of me finished their conversation and moved on, and the woman behind me rammed one of them with her cart for good measure. Unbelievable. It made me thankful that I'm not an entitled jerk.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I picked up some things to make a care package for the homeless woman and her dog who I see every day on my way home from work. I always give them five or ten bucks when I see them, but I thought a little extra holiday gift would be nice. I bought the dog (a pit bull named Ladybird who is the sweetest thing in the world) a nice variety of treats at PetCo, and for the woman (whose name I do not know) I picked up a bunch of travel-sized toiletry items and some snacky foods and granola bars at the grocery store.
I can't wait to give it to them when I see them next week.
As always, I am thankful for so many things. I have a great family and a wonderful group of amazing friends both online and in person. I'm thankful to have a house and a car that are fully paid for, plenty to eat, a closet (okay, two closets) full of clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, clean water to drink, a computer with an internet connection, heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, medical care, and so much more, both big and small, that makes my life easier and more comfortable and safer than so many less privileged people have it. I'm thankful to have a job I enjoy with good co-workers and the best boss I could ever ask for. I'm thankful for my pets who bring so much love and laughter and companionship into my life. I'm thankful to be debt-free and to have enough money to pay my bills and enough left over to do more shopping than I probably should. I am enormously privileged and am also thankful to be able to help the less fortunate in a variety of ways, from donating to various charities to directly helping those in need when I encounter them in my day-to-day life.
I try not to take any of this for granted and to appreciate it every day of the year, but it's nice to have a day like Thanksgiving when I can really focus on how much I am truly thankful for.
I had to do some grocery shopping yesterday, and let me tell you, the day before Thanksgiving is not a good time to be at the grocery store. Central Market was a total zoo. At one point, while trying to make my way down one of the bakery aisles, I ended up completely blocked in. Two carts were blocking the entire aisle in front of me while their owners stood and chatted for quite some time. Behind me was a long line of people also trying to get down the aisle, so there was nothing to do but stand and wait. The woman directly behind me got impatient and began yelling, "Move it!" while repeatedly bumping her cart into my back until I was literally pinned between my cart and hers. It was very obvious that there was no place for me to "move it" to, and I was so stunned by her rudeness that all I could do was gesture toward the blocked aisle in front of me, which only made her yell, "Well, tell them to move!" Eventually, the people in front of me finished their conversation and moved on, and the woman behind me rammed one of them with her cart for good measure. Unbelievable. It made me thankful that I'm not an entitled jerk.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I picked up some things to make a care package for the homeless woman and her dog who I see every day on my way home from work. I always give them five or ten bucks when I see them, but I thought a little extra holiday gift would be nice. I bought the dog (a pit bull named Ladybird who is the sweetest thing in the world) a nice variety of treats at PetCo, and for the woman (whose name I do not know) I picked up a bunch of travel-sized toiletry items and some snacky foods and granola bars at the grocery store.
I can't wait to give it to them when I see them next week.
As always, I am thankful for so many things. I have a great family and a wonderful group of amazing friends both online and in person. I'm thankful to have a house and a car that are fully paid for, plenty to eat, a closet (okay, two closets) full of clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in, clean water to drink, a computer with an internet connection, heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, medical care, and so much more, both big and small, that makes my life easier and more comfortable and safer than so many less privileged people have it. I'm thankful to have a job I enjoy with good co-workers and the best boss I could ever ask for. I'm thankful for my pets who bring so much love and laughter and companionship into my life. I'm thankful to be debt-free and to have enough money to pay my bills and enough left over to do more shopping than I probably should. I am enormously privileged and am also thankful to be able to help the less fortunate in a variety of ways, from donating to various charities to directly helping those in need when I encounter them in my day-to-day life.
I try not to take any of this for granted and to appreciate it every day of the year, but it's nice to have a day like Thanksgiving when I can really focus on how much I am truly thankful for.
posted by Catherine at 12:30 PM
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