Thanksgiving: A Day of Thanks

So today is Thanksgiving. It's the day of thanks as recognized nationwide and even in other countries as America's day of gratitude. It's a day of feasting and of enjoying life, appreciating friendship and family and all the other things we have.

My experience with Thanksgiving have not always been the best. For most of my childhood, I really enjoyed the day - delicious food, amazing company. What more could a girl ask for? Apparently there's technically more but those kinds of wants are typically best left for Christmas anyway.

When I turned 16 is when my Thanksgivings first started taking turns for the worst. The one in that year, I was left without any family members, even my brother, and so I went to spend the holiday with an acquaintance I'd recently met at university and her family. It was a good time, although I was shy and there were so many people. I kept asking, "Who is that again? How are they related?" I remember I read my philosophy book quite a lot of Thanksgiving Day. It wasn't a bad way of spending the holiday but I wished I could have been there with my family instead.

The next Thanksgiving, I don't actually remember how I spent. I believe I may have gone to my acquaintance turned friend's house again. It's quite possible as I began becoming close to them as well from that time on. They treated me just like family and it was only second to being with my real one. So, I was truly appreciative of that.
My 18th year's Thanksgiving, I spent with some of my best friends. I'd long since given up on my own family as far as spending the day with. My mom was gone and my brother had a habit of spending it with his long-time girlfriend. I didn't mind and I was happy he was happy, but a part of me always wished I could somehow be more a part of his life. Oh, well.
And then 19... That was the strangest one yet and the one when I was alone as far as most things go. I spent the morning before on a plane to Korea and, due to the time skip ahead, landed in Korea with only a few hours of the holiday remaining. As I was at the airport, Incheon, scrambling to meet with my friend whom I hadn't seen in such a long while, it was a little bit difficult to really enjoy the day. However, I did appreciate two main things: One, I had made it safe and sound and my friend was there at the airport for me! And two: Ally, the amazing girl who'd taken me in with her family and as her family, had made me Thanksgiving dinner just before I'd left. God, I can't tell you how much I loved her for that. Even with the power outage that coincidentally happened on the same day when things were still in the oven, thereby ruining some parts of the food, couldn't ruin my day. It was the best thing I could have asked for.
And in Korea, a week after I arrived, on a Sunday I believe it was, my co-workers took me out to one of their friends' places and a bunch of us Westerners and a couple of Korean people were there, celebrating Thanksgiving as well. I was a little shy then, being so new and not really knowing anyone, but it was yet another event I couldn't help but appreciate.
And now, today. I am here with my grandma and her husband who, for all intents and purposes, blood not withstanding, is my grandfather, having a small day of thanks for ourselves. With the two cats and the half pom, Gunner, I guess it's like having a real party, albeit not as populated as the ones in the more recent years. Nonetheless, this is how I wanted to spend my day today. If I could have had my brother here, too, that would have just been the icing on the cake... funny, there's no cake on Thanksgiving. I guess that's more of a birthday thing.
So, the point here is this: Things change a lot, outside of our control much or perhaps most of the time. I wish I could make them go just as I want all the time, but then I guess there wouldn't be any adaptation and spontaneity to life with that kind of power. We can just make the best of what we have. I know I have a lot to be grateful for and I really am glad I have the chance to spend this time with my family and that I have my health and such things. There are still so many things I can't understand about life, so many unfair things that I can't bring myself to be grateful about (how can you be grateful to injustice and unfairness?) but I can see the good things still, too.
Sometimes, I worry I'll lose sight of even those things and just ignore the positives one day. Sometimes it seems easier to do that. But not today. Maybe later, after the midnight clock has struck (literally, there is a grandfather clock here that actually chimes), but not on such an important day where gratitude is all that is really asked of us.