Friday, Nov 22, 2018
Family and Friends Time
The holidays are upon us. I hope those who celebrated Thanksgiving had an enjoyable time with family and friends.
My Thanksgiving was great! I enjoyed it with friends who like to laugh and have fun. The food tasted incredible! It wasn’t anything exotic or fancy, but it was what I grew up on at Thanksgiving.
I think emotionally those feelings and memories make the food just taste that much better.
Whether it is that my friends are just awesome cooks, or that I am savoring memories with each fork full, I just know every bite was delicious.
Oh, what did I make you ask? Only the best fresh baked bread between Salinas and Manta. The kitchen was warm from the oven, and the smell of cooked, risen flour and yeast permeated the air. I’m glad I got to Panadería Artesanal ENTREMASAS in Olon early to buy my loaves! 😉
Out of Sync
It is strange living in a foreign country that doesn’t celebrate your own cultural holiday. Getting ready for Thanksgiving…planning, prepping, meeting up, creates a certain energy, an emotional baseline in the body. So I am walking around all morning and into the afternoon excited for the feast, yet all the locals are oblivious to this. They work and move around me like it’s just any other day. To them it is just another day, and for me, it was interesting to observe the disconnect I was feeling.
It got me thinking about how as human beings we like to belong and share in the same activities. I wonder if that need comes from a sense of external validation of our actions? If others support what I am doing, participate with me in, then that is “good”; and conversely if what I am doing is not supported by others, ridiculed or judged, then that is “bad”. It helps me understand how “herd mentality” can happen, and the importance of being true to your own inner compass. Wow, that was a hell of a lot of thought before heading to an ultimate food coma. 😉
Blessings and Love
I hope this weekend is filled with blessings and love for each of you. Remembering our blessings each day helps with our physical and mental health. I am grateful for all the blessings in my life, and I try to remember them every day…not just on Thanksgiving.
Chau
That’s a great photo Todd – so warm and inviting. Makes me want to be there too! I think we like events that take us out of our daily routine and give us a reason to celebrate. Sharing with others compounds the happiness we feel and laughter and camaraderie lift the spirits. A bit of vino helps to set the mood as well! Aren’t good friends just the best?! See you in January.
Good friends are the best Sharon. Connection with others is a blessing we can enjoy by just choosing to do so. Thanks for reading, and see you in January. 🙂
Todd
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for all the reasons stated above. I also contemplate something I read once and took to heart “that warm fuzzy feeling one gets from being in the middle of herd only means one is not far enough a head to make a difference” and I become thankful all over again.
That is a great way to think of the herd Catherine. Thanks for sharing. Hope you and Scott are doing terrific! 🙂