Happy Thanksgiving

A day of giving thanks for many things:

our country will have a new president come January 20th!

my son is happy

I have good friends offline and online

I am healthy

I live in Portland

I see ducks like this



Ah and that soon it’s time to go and eat with many of those friends mentioned above....yummmm

Holidays

I love Thanksgiving now that I am an adult. As a child, I did not like it as we spent the day with relatives and I was usually bored - [it was the pre-TV days].

Most of those relatives were not child oriented and had nothing around for me to do. As I got older and said no to those family outings, my parents invited them to our house - and at least then I could disappear into my room and had "stuff" to amuse me - or I could skip out and go to some friend's house or they to mine.

After I moved to Boston, I started doing Thanksgiving with friends and those friends became family. My mother came up sometimes but then she moved to Florida and the visits were less frequent for Thanksgiving...

Now Thanksgiving is a neighborhood pot luck. It started several years ago - before my arrival - and is a fun filled afternoon - good food, good wine and beer and super company...Almost no one plans on going anywhere for Thanksgiving - we stay put and have a day of food and friends and these are things for which we are all thankful.

What are you thankful for this year? Health? wellness? friends? pets? There is a lot to be thankful for and Thursday is the main day for giving thanks -

but giving thanks is something we can do everyday - all year long!

Happy Thanksgiving

As we grow older, we have more thanksgivings behind us to remember - but for me, each year seems to be a better thanksgiving than the one before.... maybe as I have more to be thankful for in that I have yet again added another year.....

Enjoy your day.....

Holidays

What do holidays mean for you?

I love Thanksgiving - but it has not been a family holiday in ages and has rather become an extended-family holiday where friends and visitors gather for a pot luck feast. This was true in Boston, D.C. and now here in Portland.

What started years ago, well before I moved here, is what is called "Orphan Thanksgiving" - and it has become an anticipated event.

Many years ago, my neighbors were staying here for Thanksgiving and put out an invite to anyone who was also not going anywhere. Since it was such fun, it has since become the destination spot for Thanksgiving - so much so that fewer go away and instead arrive with visiting family and friends.

As we are a small neighborhood most everyone knows everyone else and a relaxing day with all sorts of good food to eat and good wine and beer to drink - makes for a grand holiday. And as we all live within walking distance - there is never a need to drive and be in traffic.....

So readers, whether you spend holidays with family, biological or extended, or take the time to get away for a vacation, enjoy this upcoming holiday season and remember that being social is good for your health!

And don't forget to share lots of your social-ness with those 4 footed neighbors and family : - )