Macaroni Dad

Even before I had finished my last bit of work on Tuesday afternoon, I already had a giddy surge of turkey and stuffing adrenaline knowing that I was about to embark on an entire five days off and it was almost upon me...in short, my weekend was as long as it could be at that moment. Even my clients looked at me funny and questioned my tap dancing and cabaret line kicks as I wrapped up with them late in the afternoon and strode out into the warm Florida sunshine. I am definitely one guilty of spending more hours on work related issues, whether in the field or at home, and then I realize another work week is gone and the "important" time I’ve spent with my wife and daughter has not been enough. Somehow this holiday Black Friday is upon us, Christmas 2014 is too soon approaching, and a New Year on the immediate horizon. Not sure how we got here so quickly, but I vow and pledge to over-caffeinate and stay up for five days and nights to seize every moment and maximize family bonding and dysfunction time. Times like these don’t come often enough and when they do it seems that they are over too soon...perhaps that is what makes them the most important moments we can have.

It is Thanksgiving morning as I write this, and as I watch my mother wrestle what looks like a 95-pound turkey in the sink and wince at the splattering of Salmonella and Campylobacter around the kitchen (have I mentioned that microbiology was my major in college and I work in the field of food safety in my “real” job?), I feel warm and fuzzy and look forward to a house filled with family, friends and total strangers. Lately I have been overly busy and stressed and I have to think that maybe my smiles haven’t been as frequent as they should be. I think about last night and how my youngest daughter’s 9th year birthday arrived before I was ready and regardless of how I try, there hasn’t been much I can do to keep her from growing up too fast. My 21 year old daughter’s warm and bear-like hug last night is a brilliant reminder that I need to capture and enjoy every single day.

So this Thanksgiving in my parent’s house, democrats and republicans, friends and family, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, dysfunctional, deranged and not quite normal will join around at least one table (I hope to graduate from the kids table this year) and not speak of politics or tell gross stories. We'll give thanks and hopefully be reminded of how lucky we are to live in the greatest country on earth.

The kind of spirit I think we are all supposed to embrace as we ponder back to our ancestors who ate poisonous berries, gravel cakes, and boiled bark gravy (without salt and pepper) is what must have been a cautious gathering of settlers and Native Americans. The celebration must have given some a gratifying feeling of family, acceptance and friendship at a time when things were challenging and uncertain. Imagine our ancestors sitting across the table from their new Native American friends (The Wampanoag says my 9 year old) and celebrating in a tentative new world while they unknowingly made history. Even for me today, it helps me to clear my mind as I remember where I came from and helps me to appreciate those that mean the most...it is a safe, warm and loving place in the middle of this crazy chaos we call life.

I think that is why I get so silly and jovial this time of year because I know for at least a few days we can forget about everything else and breathe deeply and enjoy the bonds that are family and friends. Many of us will still have challenges ahead, but getting together like this, however you choose to do it, helps us all to realize that the best parts of life happen when you spend moments with those you love and cherish.

I hope this Thanksgiving weekend finds you relaxing, regrouping, loving, hugging and stopping for a moment to remember what matters most in your life. May you be surrounded by the people that you love, and may you hug and kiss and stop and actually live in the moment this holiday season and it may it seem to last forever.