I’m in Ohio with my family to celebrate Thanksgiving this week. It’s tempting to feel grumpy, after the way we arrived here. My last dozen trips to visit family resulted in 24-hour disasters of delays, cancellations, and sleeping on smelly carpets on the floors of O’Hare Airport. I swore off going home to be with family- until this year. But after driving to the airport, parking in long term parking, eating airport food, boarding the plane, and waiting for what my 3-year old called “Blast off,” our flight got cancelled. We had two choices- take another plane to Chicago and sleep overnight in the airport or go back home and try again tomorrow. We opted for Plan B (which resulted in a fit of sobbing from my 3 year old).
So….it’s easy to fall into fits of complaining. BUT…I’ve decided to think differently. After all, what’s done is done. And the whole situation was something I couldn’t control. And this holiday is all about gratitude, right? So I’m determined to be gracious, regardless of the hassles. Today, after a brief night of sleep, I woke up with a fresh attitude.
This morning, I journeyed to Knox County with my mother, my husband, and my 3-year old daughter Siena to shop for Thanksgiving food treasures in Amish Country, where turkeys run free, produce is local and organic, cheese is made on the farm from cows milked daily, and life runs at a slower pace. Traveling along in Mom’s Lexus SUV, we found ourselves happily caught behind many horse & buggy operations going 5 miles/hour. Siena was delighted. Amish Country suited her perfectly- baby animals ready for petting, sweaty horses anxious to be snuggled, fresh apples ready to picked, pumpkins still ripe and waiting for attention, kind people handing her samples of chocolate, and most importantly, “Everyone loves me here, Mama.” Indeed, they do.
It’s easy to get caught up in the headaches and hassle of modern life, but visiting Amish Country reminds me that life doesn’t have to be complex to be enjoyable. After shopping in the organic heartland, I spent the evening brewing fresh roasted butternut squash/ apple soup for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast with 21 of the Rankin clan, who have not gathered since a tragedy last collected us. This time, we gather in a spirit of Thanksgiving, for the blessings we are granted every day, for the love we share, for the family drama that is inevitable but appreciated nonetheless. We are-simply- grateful.
Thanksgiving tends to come with a lot of drama. Expectations run high, but the holiday often delivers little of what we expect. Childhood wounds gash open. Adult hopes get dashed. While we may be thankful for many blessings in our lives, it’s only natural that holidays will focus our attention on what life lacks- the perfect partner, a peaceful family, a thriving career, a happy home, a loving community- whatever. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, which lie in stark contrast to the gratitude we’re expected to feel. It’s enough to make a perfectly healthy person lose their mojo.
Inspired by the Amish, I offer this opportunity to turn your holiday into a time of grace. What if, instead of focusing on what isn’t perfect in your life, you focus on the simple things that bring you joy- the dream you’re nurturing that’s on its way to being fulfilled, the creative spark within you that longs to be expressed, the healthy body you know you can have and are on your way to owning- and most importantly, the Pink Posse community who loves you, cares about you, and is thankful that you are on this earth, breathing your life and blessings into every moment.
We at Owning Pink are grateful for each and every one of you. YOU are our simple pleasures. Like the “Bridge of Dreams” (the longest covered bridge in Ohio), which I walked across with my family today, you represent hope to me. Collectively, we ARE the Bridge of Dreams. Person by person, we can span the gap that many of us feel- that loneliness that separates us from what we know is possible, from the loving kindness in our hearts dying to be expressed, from the blessings in life we can greet in gratitude.
Life is precious. YOU are a blessing. WE are grateful for each and every one of you. This is my Thanksgiving.
Loving you with simple pleasure,
Lissa
