A little while ago I got a text from my friend –stuck in the road, not happy with her Thanksgiving destination or with her meal prospects.
I think she texted on behalf of way too many Americans. Nothing is worse than inhaling Eau de Dioxyde for hours on end.
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Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving day.
We are, by default, a thankless nation –filled with people who would rather sue others than ever have a moment of contrition or admission of guilt.
We live in a nation where an unemployment rate as of October 2007 of 4.4% manages to make people ask what is wrong with the economy. (By contrast, the European Union’s rate as of September, 2007 was at 7.3% and everyone seems delighted.)
I’ll probably write a mushy entry on how much Thanksgiving means to me tomorrow.
But today it’s the day to wonder why, as a nation, we feel that it’s okay to shuffle off to see relatives we cannot stand and make stilted, stifling plans after having driven for way too many hours.
Thanksgiving is about the food. And it’s about giving thanks. So unless you’re happy traveling the distance and it’s worth your while, then it shouldn’t, and you needn’t.
And while we’re at it, let us learn to not just give thanks, but learn to accept it when people say "thank you" to us.
Politeness: It’s what’s for dinner, after the graciousness appetizer.
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All you get is some aimless rambling right now.
I’m making a point of posting while you’re stuck in traffic, you know.
How’s that for passive-aggressive relative-speak?
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For those not gearing up for a turkey tomorrow, I wish you a happy Thursday and thanks for tuning in.
A Daily Dose of Zen Sarcasm! 
As I watch the news reports on the masses of people travelling home for Thanksgiving and compare it to last year’s reports on people travelling home for Christmas I notice that more people travel home for Thanksgiving than for Christmas.
Or maybe it’s just that more people try to get home in the same few days for Thanksgiving versus over a week or more span for Christmas??
Either way I’m left wondering why so many Americans try to get together for a day when arranging for a week would be less stressful. Of course I also wonder why people try to get together with relatives they aren’t happy being around. I know that as much as I love my extended family (parents, siblings, and in-laws) I’m also extremely happy to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas away from them and with my husband, daughter, and friends.
As for politeness, it should always be in fashion. As such, I’m going to leave it there and not go into a long speech.
We’ve already had our Thanksgiving. I hope yours is good and peaceful (as much as possible with a little one underfoot) and enjoyable.