A Peaceful Thanksgiving

Anything involving any part of my family is tends to be an adventure.    Wednesday night (the night before Thanksgiving) I went over to my aunt and uncle’s house to hang out, relax and spend some time with some great family members I don't get to hang out with often enough.  There were a number of places I was invited to spend the holiday at, but theirs was the house I really wanted to be in. 

Over there, it is more than acceptable to be in sweat pants with no makeup on.  It’s ok to grab something from the fridge.  To sample whatever is on the stove.  To chillax and do your own thing.  Basically, you’re free to be you.  There’s a lot of love, compassion and humor in that house.  I couldn't dream of any better place to insert myself for a couple of days.

Wednesday night, two of my female cousins, my aunt and I all settled into the living room for a Duck Dynasty and Couple’s Therapy marathon.  We laughed and laughed and had a great girls’ night.  One cousin and I stayed up a while after everyone else and chatted late into the night.  That was the most precious time I've ever spent with her.  It’s amazing how fast we all grow up and change.  I got to know her as an adult and discovered she is an even more amazing, intelligent and beautiful person than I could have imagined. 

Thanksgiving Day rolled around and I awoke on the couch, so happy to be where I was.  Having been single and living alone for so long, it is wonderful to be inserted into a big family environment every once in a while.  Somewhere there are people and things going on all around me and I'm just one little part of it.  At my house, things are quiet.  The only movement is my own.  There’s nothing to observe.  I rather like it that way on a regular basis.  It’s peaceful to not have to worry or think about anyone or anything other than my little world.  But it absolutely fills me with joy to be amongst loved ones like I was the last couple of days.

My cousin and I flipped Duck Dynasty back on as we peeled potatoes on the couch.  Then I proceeded to nap off and on.  Another cousin held something in front of my face at one point in the morning.  I grabbed hold of a red tube-like device and looked at it for a moment.  Then I looked up at him and asked, “is this a blowgun?”  Indeed it was!  The darts for this thing were ridiculously sharp and looked like very thick needles.  Probably 4-5” in length.  Next thing I knew, I heard “PFFT” followed by the sound of a dart hitting wood.  And another one followed.  Let me tell you, for as fast as those things fly and as deep as they sink into hard wood, I would NOT want to be shot with one.  It was in that moment that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was right where I wanted to be.  I know.  Crazy.

Not long after, I began hearing a clicking sound from another room.  I immediately thought, “that sounds like a stun gun.”  A few seconds later, I find out I was right!  One cousin walks out of the room teasing another one with this thing.  And I completely lost it.  Laughing hysterically. 

Amongst the flying blowgun darts, amazing smells from the kitchen, vacuum cleaner running to prepare the house before the meal, people talking to each other from one room to another, I felt completely at peace.  I lay back down on the couch and must’ve fallen back asleep.  The next thing I knew, someone was patting me on the shoulder and I opened my eyes to see my grama leaning over me to say hello.  And I knew it must be nearly time to eat. 

We had an enormous and beyond delicious meal.  I can’t even tell you all the things we passed around.  I can, however, tell you I ate way too much.  It was wonderful. The one cousin who was missing from the holiday is in the Navy and she’s currently in Djibouti (Africa).  We did get to have her with us via Facetime for a short bit which was a great highlight of the day.  We showed her the table with all the food and heard about the meal she’d had as well. 

I took another nap after the meal and later headed up to my other grandma’s house where my mom and dad were.  We spent the evening discussing “Fifty Shades of Grey” and making comparisons between Christian Grey and the men we knew.  Then we debated the extent of Khloe Kardashian's lack of intelligence for a while.  Good times! 

There you have it!  Duck Dynasty, a blowgun, girl time, grandparents, Facetime, and Fifty Shades of Grey.  A perfect Thanksgiving!