More Thoughts on Thanksgiving...

I had been thinking about topics for this week's blog for several days when it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps I should consider writing about Thanksgiving. After all -- this post will go live on Thanksgiving Day or shortly thereafter.  Now -- here is the dilemma... what could I possibly say that has not already been said and well said about Thanksgiving?  Certainly there are many wonderful stories written about childhood memories and about time spent with relatives and friends here and no longer here. Thanksgiving tales abound. Wonderful tales. Hallmark movies have been made. There are enumerable things about which to be thankful, and I agree that it is important to stop and think once in a while about how truly blessed we are. Seriously....  Yet...

Not wanting to go over topics already so thoroughly explored -- I decided that I just simply have to tell you that in many ways Thanksgiving is my favorite of all holidays.  I love the gathering of the clan and sometimes friends too; I love the relaxed, no presents day.  I even like to glance at the big parade from time to time throughout the morning.  But -- second only to having time with my family --  I think I like the aromas of preparation.  The feast is yummy, of course, but the smells of early morning Monkey bread, followed by the aromas of stuffing preparation and then roasting turkey -- there are no adequate adjectives to describe the mouth-watering, yet welcoming, homey feeling of that particular meal. My kids always comment on that feeling when they arrive for the day.  I like that -- it is what I was going for all along...that welcoming, homey feeling.  ... Yep -- so much for which to be thankful... and let's not forget to include the leftovers in that....   
                                                                                                                          Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  

Things in common...

It is wonderful to find a connection with other generations, but it is not quite the same as having a conversation with someone who remembers a Buster Brown X-ray machine or Bucky Bucky Beaver and at least part of the words to the IPANA toothpaste song that starts with "Brusha Brusha Busha... with the new IPANA. It's dandy for your teeth."  Or remember Farfel's "OH... N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles make the very best --- chocolate" ?  (Bet when you read that you were singing it in your head. I know my sister would be.)  Anyway -- when you have things like that in common, it is no wonder that you can communicate with others of your vintage by facial expression or a roll of the eyes. Perhaps each generation has its bonds that tie.  Boomers have a lot more serious bonds than those mentioned above, but today I am thinking about the "you get it" look.

The other day I was talking with an classmate of mine from the high school class of 1967. He is a good guy. We were chatting away and suddenly in mid sentence, I totally forgot what I was saying or where I was going with the idea if I could have remembered what it was.  We just looked at each other and said nothing. I knew that he knew. We both "got it". I am thinking that you may get the drift as well.  After a short silence, we both smiled, and he said quietly, "Yep..."  It's nice when other people understand, when you don't have to explain.   Yep....  

I have convinced myself that the forget in mid-sentence thing is totally not age related. Rather it has to do with running on overload -- so many things to think about -- too much information bombarding at once. I read somewhere that it is called "benign forgetfulness."  I am hanging onto that thought. I love my age...well.. most aspects of it. (It is interesting to step outside of yourself and take a good look at the "aging" process, but that is a discussion for another day.)  What I really like is having a connection with old friends where no explanation is necessary.  It's comforting in a world where a part of the younger generations are beginning to look at you like you are some kind of a dinosaur with wrinkles and white hair.  If they only knew.... They will...before they know it.  There is that.

Too Much Stuff

I don't know about you, but I have too much stuff.  It used to be that I only thought about it when contemplating or planning a move, but lately...  I think about it more.  It isn't just when I go to hang up clothes in a closet either;  it is also when I go to the pantry cupboard to find a can of corn or when I think about dusting in my book room or cleaning the hutch in my dining area.  Too much stuff.  Particularly prevalent are odds and ends of yarns left over from projects completed long ago and things like shoes that are falling apart but have been faithful and comfortable. I don't even want to go into other things like old notebooks from college and the stamp collection I started in fifth grade. Too much stuff. In an attempt to disguise the situation, I even have tightly organized overloaded cupboards and closets, but now it is time to clean out a bit -- actually more than a bit.  (I am so thankful that a couple of years ago my wonderful and "cool" adult children had a garage sale of all their things that were stored in my basement, so... that area is pretty well done.  They did a good job of it.)

The problem is that no one really wants any of my accumulated things - some of the "treasures" are personal, so I am on my own when it comes time to make a decision.  It is easy to part with items that no longer mean anything to you - like when you realize that you have forgotten the significance of that item -- the origin of a pressed flower, or what that odd metal spring goes to, but it is more difficult to part with the things that that could still be put to good use  by someone somewhere.  Who is that? Where is that?

Then there are the treasures you find when sorting through that you simply must keep -- things that have special meaning.  A case in point -- The other day my grandson was looking through stuff and found a "coin" of some sort that has my Father's name on it.  I honestly don't remember having seen it before -- ever. Is it an apport?  Think not. Probably not. It most likely has been resting for a long time inside that old salt box of my Mom's just waiting for my smart little scavenger of a grandson to find it. Now that coin probably is of no value to anyone except family who knew my father, but at the same time -- it is more than that. Putting aside all the concerns about too much stuff, here is my hope -- that my grandson will remember finding it and how pleased I was to see it. He obviously saw what it meant to me as he found a special place to display it where it would be safe. It was one of those shared moments.  He is old enough at age seven to remember and he has a memory like a bear trap.  That is just one of the things for which I am grateful. I definitely have too much stuff and I need to deal with that, but memories don't take up any space.  

Purring Grandma

Recently I was chatting with a good friend of mine.  She was telling me about time spent with her Mom during the previous week..  They had spent several days together planning and working on a project. ( I was exhausted just listening to all that they had accomplished.) Anyway --  at one point her Mom, who is a young 88, sat down, put her feet up, closed her eyes and shortly thereafter began to purr softly. (That whole scenario makes me smile.)  My friend found this to be amazing and wonderful at the same time.  The thing that surprised her was not just the purring, but that her Mom actually stopped to take a bit of a nap  .Now I personally don't find the desire to take a bit of a nap at all surprising.  In fact I find it hard to believe that there are people who never nap and seem to take great pride in the fact that they don't.. I do believe them when the say they don't even feel the need, but I still find it necessary to "suspend my disbelief", if you know what I mean.  Anyway -- I decided to take an informal poll.  I discovered that many people, including a random sampling at the local Walmart as well as some of my friends, highly recommend napping on a regular basis. There are those who use strong terms like "power nap". Others just mumble as if napping needs to be a confession of some sort.   Actually there are many terms that people use in reference to napping.  It is sort of like areas of the country that have twenty-seven different words for snow.  The more important the subject, the more words to describe it.  I was talking with my  three-year-old granddaughter just the other day about the importance and benefits of napping. As I was looking at her and gabbing away, she closed her eyes and tipped over on me sound asleep. I guess she doesn't need to be convinced. She is, after all, a fourth generation "napper". As I watched her sleep the sleep of a three year old, I wished that she too did a little soft purring. There is something so nice about that.