Thanksgiving 2021

Thanksgiving Thoughts

It's thanksgiving eve eve.. or Tuesday on any other given week. And, I'm feeling grateful... that I'm not stressed out... that I'm not cooking... that I'm not planning / working on a family gathering for Thursday.... and that I am in my happy place...

I'm 720 miles from home at the beach with my husband. 

It's beautiful. It's calming. It's relaxing. I feel inspired and full of GRATITUDE. Life is good.

🌊 😎😷🤿🌞⛱💦👫💑

It's taken many years to discover what some others I met here do... travel for the holiday. Even though it's off season, and there is still a pandemic going on, and many places are closed, this city welcomes weary travelers from the north escaping the cold during these pandemic times. There's a local restaurant here that is giving out free Thanksgiving meals. They have set up a drive through and ask for donations to support the locals in need. So those who have and have not are getting a meal. Folks that can are asked to give a donation. Generosity at it's finest. Everybody eats. It's a beautiful thing. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about!?! 

I'm happy to say Covid-19 protocols are in place.. it's drive through with masks for the turkey dinner. Florida is getting a bad rap around the rest of the country. We've seen almost everyone in masks. Also, the resort we're staying at had complete contact-less check in and delivery from stores and restaurants that are open.

...many gratitude moments happening this week.

Plans

I will be missing our kids on Thursday. 

I had no expectation of hearing from or seeing my estranged daughters. 

My son said he was traveling for work to the west coast this week and was thinking of taking his wife, daughter, and mother in law with him and staying through the holiday. Reading between the lines, I think that they didn't want to drive the two hours to see us and they didn't want to host us, so that may have been just a line that he told me. My son's family is fully vaccinated but plans didn't work out there. 

My husband's sons (my bonus sons) have decided not to get vaccinated. Since we are both high risk, we can't safely make plans with them. We're both sad about that. 

So, it's just the two of us again this year.

I had planned on this week off work last year because of my husband's birthday, our anniversary, and Thanksgiving closely together.  Last week we decided to positively embrace change.

Thanksgivings Past

I wish I would have stopped holiday hosting many years ago with the hindsight that I currently have. My extended family never appreciated the amount of work and the cost of hosting. I hosted almost every year for the 32 years. The last time was in 2017. My mother's illness and death fractured my family beyond repair since then. So no more extended family holidays. It seems that I'm the only person that cared and wanted my siblings to be loving and supportive of each other and gathered together. Instead resentments decades in the making bubbled up the year my mom died and as a family we are not past it. It's a mixed bag. I miss them / don't miss them.

I had loved family gatherings but my family would be difficult and I could not rely on them to help. My two oldest sisters are difficult people. For years they both alienated family members and my children with the negative things they would say. But we stayed together held by the glue of the holidays I hosted. I suppose family will show their worst to you because they know that you will always be there for them. At least people like me who value family will be. But, that created family events packed with stress.

Finding New Traditions

Through 2018, 2019, and 2020, my life changed considerably. My mom died. My daughters estranged. I bought a house close to work. I broke up with relationships that were not working. I fell in love and got married after being single for more than a decade. I gained three bonus sons and a great extended family. I became a grandmother. Then... my husband had a heart attack and stroke. I became diabetic. We developed a list of medical maladies that probably crop up for most of us in our fifties. We became high risk for Covid-19 complications just before that was sprang on the world. We've been pretty isolated for a long time, this being the second year navigating the holidays alone.

We are super grateful we have each other. Despite the challenges we have been happy.

There are some great things we've learned along the way. Anything can be delivered to your front door. Business on the top half and pants optional for the bottom half for Zoom. That my husband needs to close the bathroom door when I'm on Zoom call. That we are perfectly suited for each other. That we can adapt.

This week may be the beginning of a new tradition for us... beautiful beaches and warm weather. I hope the kids get vaccinated and join us here next year.

Maybe in this chapter of my life...

holidays = travel

Travel = fun

Win/win. Since I love travel, it's definitely not a bad thing.

Intentions

I am sending love and light out into the world to everyone. I wish the best for you all with many things to be grateful for.

Happy Thanksgiving from the beach.

#Thanksgiving2021 #Covid19 #Covid19Holidays #Beach #SelfCare #Estrangement #Holidays #pandemic #grateful #FloridaCovid19