Appreciative Ape

I had an uneventful Thanksgiving, which is really nice compared to what some folks endure.  Other than the year we discussed World War II (My grandfather ended the conversation by yelling, "The French are a bunch of cruds!") and the year L and my SIL got into a hot debate over how intelligent people in this country are treated like they have some sort of disease until they produce something seemingly useful to the masses, we get along just fine.  There is always some drama, but it is generally small in the grand scheme of things.  This year, my brother decided to clean his brand new carpet and his brand new house with Clorox Cleanup, thereby turning spots here and there from a non-descript brownish-tan to garish orange.  He will beat himself up over it far more than his wife could; although, she swears she's gonna try.

We stuffed ourselves, divvied up leftovers, and, half-drunk on turkey, drove ourselves home.

Lately, I haven't been in the mood to write.  Instead, I'd much rather play pc games.  L and I have been playing Diablo II quite a bit the last few days, which isn't unusual for us in wintertime.  What is unusual is that yesterday, we spent a total of about five hours on the sofa watching TV.  True, we were watching Daria, but we rarely ever do something like that.  If we're sitting on the sofa for hours, it's because L got a new PS game.  But, it was so nice to just cuddle under a blanket, eat popcorn, and laugh together.  When the marathon ended, L said, "I had a lot of fun today."  It doesn't take much to make either of us happy, which is a blessing in its own right. 

Thanksgiving marked the fifth year we've been living together (we've been married for half that time), which is another reason why I like this holiday more than the others.  It reminds me of a time in my life that was scary and painful and yet joyous and exciting.  It reminds me that I took a leap of faith in L's love for me. 

Beyond what it means to me on a personal level, Thanksgiving is a holiday where we all try to be good, appreciative people by remembering (and sometimes listing) the things we have that set us apart as the lucky ones.  This year, I'm feeling pretty lucky to have my husband, to have a job, and to have the free time to write, read, watch cartoons, and play computer games.  Tomorrow, I'll put up the Christmas tree while L studies, and while I will grumble about ornament arrangment and how we still don't have a tree topper, I'll also be especially grateful that I don't have to study Physics.