Thanksgiving

And there went Thanksgiving.

I don’t know what happened, but I am noticing that every year that goes by, the clock ticks faster. I remember, as a child, Summer Vacation would yawn in great stretches of time. Three months off school? That was like an eternity! Now I just finish blinking away an eyelash trapped in my eye and 8 months has gone to the winds. At the rate it’s going in 10 minutes, I’ll be 97!

I'm 39, not 97. And not 40 either, thankyouverymch!

I might as well be 97. I feel like it more often than not. My back hurts. My knees hurt. My head hurts. Some mornings I wake up and it’s everything I can do to pull myself out of bed to get to work. I creak and groan as I work through my morning routine. Don’t even ask me about navigating stairs! I really should be in some kind of physical therapy, but having just started a new job, I don’t have the insurance needed to pay for that yet.

Yet.

I have a job; I'm thankful for that.

It’s coming. They keep telling me, the insurance is coming. For the first time since I started suffering chronic pain, I’m actually looking forward to physical therapy. Sure it’s a royal pain (both literally and figuratively) while you’re doing it, but in the long run it’s gotta help right? Yah, maybe.

At least my problems can be solved and are not terminal. I'm grateful for that.

Which brings me to Thanksgiving (via which route, I’m not sure). I spent the majority of it at home. I made roast beef. Why did I make roast beef and not turkey? Because these days, it’s just my dad and me, so why go through a zillion years of turkey leftovers when we both prefer roast beef anyways? It was good. I baked it slowly in the oven and it came out so tender it was just falling apart. I’m looking forward to roast beef sandwiches for dinner tonight.

It's nice to be able to afford roast beef again.

I also took my father running around to various gigs and engagements. Being the daughter of a musician still recovering from major neck surgery can have its drawbacks. One of the big ones: I’m now a full time chauffer. And I hate to drive. Sitting at the wheel too long makes my neck and back hurt and those hurt enough as it is, but it’s for my dad, so whatcha gonna do?

I am sooooo thankful I have a dad. He is still with me and I hope he is for a long time to come. He is, right now, the only family I have.

So, there's always something to feel thankful for.

And that's what Thanksgiving is all about, isn't it?