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| bittersweet |
The new normal is here.
In my world, Thanksgiving has ceased to be the traditional tableau. This shift has been a gradual thing over many years. Children marry and move away. Friends abandon us to meet the demands of their own spouses and families. Grandparents pass from this life. Siblings become grandparents. Parents age. We age.
I passed our day of Thanksgiving quietly. We decided to keep our meal small and simple. Never as a younger woman would I have thought my Thanksgiving table would be set for only two. With his health issues, next year it may be set for only one. With each year I become more and more of a statistic.
Curious as to my comments on the holiday last year, I scrolled back and discovered one of the few poems I've written. I'd actually forgotten I did that. It reminded me that last year, as with this year, it was just the two of us.
There's something to be said for quiet, private celebrations in the midst of the chaos modern living has become. We had no timetable. We let the turkey dictate the time we prepared everything else. There was no need to rush. No stress of having to have food ready as guests arrived to partake of it. The turkey landed on a platter to rest and then we cooked.
We ate a lot less, let me tell you. Without witnesses, Deuce got more turkey, too. Loki apparently doesn't like poultry, silly cat that he is. And horror of horrors, the pumpkin pie is still unbaked. I think I'll do that today. Pie, with a glass of eggnog, can be our supper. Deuce can have a shot of whipped cream. Yes, we are now freed of Thanksgiving obligation to eat in traditional form.
I feel as though I've transitioned into a singular place unexpected. I wonder if people accustomed to sitting in the midst of a huge gathering fear to arrive at such a place? It's not so bad, you know.
This stepping back from the world brings peace and freedom. One by one those whom I love have been stripped from me, changing my life but not who I am at my core. I've paused to take a breath but now I'm ready to once again forge ahead.
Peace and freedom may be my new mantra.
KC Kendricks
www.kckendricks.com
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