Thanksgiving, LJ Affirmations

[hermionesviolin]

Thanksgiving in my family is just my parents, me and my brother, and my maternal grandmother.  (My paternal grandparents used to drive up from Maryland, but they're not up for it anymore.)  I was thinking early on this Thursday that it would be much more meaningful to me to have a celebration with lots of friends, but then I was thinking that while that might be a lot more fun, it wouldn't necessarily be any more meaningful.  When I skimmed the flist Thursday night, I saw lots of posts of gratitude (in list form or more general sentiments), and I think one of my big annoyances about Thanksgiving is that there's no real emphasis on the supposed main point of the holiday.  [Obviously y'all were observing it, but I don't generally get the sense that it's central to most people's/families' observances of the holiday.]

The food has never pinged me (even when I ate dead bird, turkey didn't excite me) and I dislike the fact that the holiday seems to be about all Americans eating nearly the exact same foods.  Oh, and it's also About the Parade and the Football -- neither of which grab me.

[On a positive note: There was color on my plate.  Baby spinach, green beans with almonds, baby carrots, and mashed potatoes.  It occurred to me this time around that I basically just avoid the cranberries on principle, so I tried a smidge.  Basically what one would expect given cranberry juice -- a connection I should have thought of earlier.  The kind of taste that it is doesn't seem to me to really fit in with the rest of the traditional dinner, though.]

Greg [HBS prof] said he was gonna go out to dinner with his family Thanksgiving night -- you don't have to cook or clean up and you're only stuck with your family for a few hours.

***

Last week I mentioned doing LJ Affirmations for Thanksgiving.

I have not included my entire flist here, and if you're not included it doesn't mean that I don't like you.  I mean, dude, I have 100+ people friended (even when we take out duplicate journals).


antheia - You deal with so much shit and just keep rolling.
applejuicegirl - I want to Affirm your genuineness.  You're not always sure of yourself/things, and you don't try to hide that.
bella_loki - I love you so much, my glittery femmey down-in-the-dirt gardening car-fixing atheist Milton-loving gay superhero comics aficionado.
boob_duck - I want to Affirm that you never make me feel stupid or inferior despite the fact that you are so much more well-read than I am and I almost always feel like you're far smarter than I am.
ff_shiprecs - Dude, you shared in my desire for Sam/Elena femslash; what more do I need to say?
fiareynne - You were so obviously having so much fun dancing at the WriterCon cocktail party.  I admire that ability to let go of inhibitions.
immortalavalamp - I can tell you anything and I don't feel judged.  Also: cuddling.
itsabigrock - I wanted to Affirm your initiative-taking.  At WriterCon you would just round up people and head out places (be it "blue drinks and dancing girls" or just going out to eat somewhere), and now you're making all sorts of changes in your personal life.
laynamarya - As I said, "light in the darkness" is such a fitting name-meaning for you to have.  You are so positive and filled with love.
likeadeuce - You have such fun, interesting, and intelligent thoughts about X-Men.  I also want to Affirm your Jossverse RPS :)
lilithchilde - Remember when we talked about doing a Special Studies solving the problems of the world by dialoguing with each other?  We had such amazing conversations, and I miss that.  Also, you've definitely affected the way I think about a lot of things.
lone_wandering - You remain the most honest, earnest person I know, but you've also grown up so much in the time I've known you.  Also, I feel honored that you trust me as much as you do.
moxiemuse - I admire your writing, your courage, and your honesty.
musesfool - I really enjoy reading your fic as well as your non-fic entries, and I've also gotten into some great music thanks to you.
offbalance - You're so secure -- in who you are, in what you want, in what you like.  I really admire that.
sexonastick - You are so solid.  I'm not sure quite how to articulate this, but that's the dominant sense I get of you from your LJ entries (both structure and content thereof).
sk8eeyore - I want to Affirm your putting yourself out there, pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone in the knowledge that it will make you a better stronger person; and also your willingness to reevaluate your thoughts/beliefs/approaches (I'm thinking of your faith journey).
speacechilde - I have always thought you were very intelligent, and I really admire your ability to persevere through really difficult situations and to (as far as I can see) not dissolve in panic etc. (as control-freak me probably would do).
theatre_pixie - I want to Affirm your willingness to be honest even when you suspect yours won't be a popular opinion.
trekgirl55 - I still have your voicemail saved on my phone from WriterCon.  I love the straightforwardness of it.
trijinx - You are so unabashed in your love for the things you love.  And despite my initial resistances, I often end up really enjoying new things thanks to your tugging.
va_savoir - You are so enthusiastic about the things you love (Science Museum exhibits, etc.) and I really admire that unapologeticness.  I was also really impressed that we so easily chatted for so long at Qdoba that afternoon despite not having talked much before.
willysunny - The "sunny" part of your username is so accurate and I always think of you as so light-filled.
wisdomeagle - I want to Affirm your thoughtfulness about your relationships, and also your commitment to finding joy in everyday life.  And your fic-writing; your voices are almost always spot-on, and you do marvelous things with language and make them seem effortless.
zzrg - You have done an incredible amount of pushing through difficult situations and making self-improvements, with a dedication I definitely don't think I have.