Cowboy’s Diary – What Thanksgiving Means To Me

Hey Diary:

It's kind of hard to believe that we've already made it to another Thanksgiving.  I find myself in the same predicament that I faced this same time last year...and the year before that...and the year before that, etc...unpreparedness.  It kind of sucks.  These holidays always just sneak up on me. 

It's a little too convenient and immature to lay blame solely on the job...but I'll try.  Radio life is one where we all do our best to stay at least three or four months ahead of you and we're 'always' planning for the next party.  It's a fast pace.  So why should I be really surprised when another Thanksgiving rolls around when it seems like only yesterday that I finally finished last year's leftovers?  It's because I'm an optimist. Perhaps foolishly, I keep hoping for a different outcome, despite my inaction and eagerness to please.  I want life to slow down.

It's been a challenging year for me in several ways, but you know that, diary.  :)  It's also been one of the greatest of my life.  You know that too.  I feel that I've grown and changed a lot since last Thanksgiving.  I don't think I'm going to let this one slip by me quite so easily, even with the blinding fog of "Black Friday."  No.  There's too much to be thankful for.  Leaf - prepare to be turned over! It's harvest time!

I want this Thanksgiving to be more than just a delicious banquet of food.  No, I'm going deep here.  I want it to be a delicious banquet of the soul.  I want it to spread to everyone, too.  I want people to stop thinking about what they can't do and concentrate on what they can.  I want to give thanks for not only being able to share this moment with my friends and loved ones, but for also remembering and praying for those who can only wish for those things.

My life isn't bad.  In the grand scheme of things, yours probably isn't either.  We'll pretend it is, though.  When was the last time you just said "it's all right" when the cashier got your order wrong?  If your cable goes out, do you flip, and shout curses to the television gods, or just occupy your time with something else?  How long before you honk in a slow drive-thru?  We're  close to being programmed to always blow things out of proportion.

We're a great town, nation, state, country, all of it, but sometimes I feel we all just let it overwhelm us, and are forced to be machines.  Humanity and civility are becoming relics because of it.  We should never allow that to happen.  So I, dear diary, am going to remember and practice all that I've just said.  I'm going to calm down, slow down, reach out, and not sweat the small stuff and things that are beyond my control.  Lord knows that someone has it much worse.  I'm going to enjoy my Thanksgiving along with the fruits of my labor and with those who have helped make them possible.  Thanksgiving should be so much more than a meal.  It was, and always should be about coming together in triumph and celebration after another challenging year... and of course, thanks!