Look, I know that it’s traditionally that time of year when I should spout off about the things I’m grateful for in my life. I get annoyed when people act like you have to be thankful for every mundane thing just because it’s the fourth Thursday in November.
So, in the anti-spirit of Thanksgiving, let me list some of the things that do not inspire in me any sense of thankfulness.
I am not thankful for airports. My family lives in Texas, so I’ve become a frequent flier. First, that limit-on-liquids rule is sexist. I have to bring lotion, makeup, hair products and the normal things like shampoo and toothpaste. One quart-sized bag does not cut it. There goes $20 on my checked-in bag. Then, you have the weirdos on planes. I’ve started wearing my sunglasses through the entire flight just so people don’t try to strike up awkward conversations with me about my sandwich choices.
I am not thankful for the amount of projects, papers and ridiculous Wildlife Issues homework I have had due the past few days. I really don’t care that the bandicoots are an insectivorous marsupial.
I am not thankful that I got sick two days before Thanksgiving and might be unable to taste the turkey by the time it rolls around. Thanks a lot to the snot-nosed seventh graders my mom teaches. I’m not thankful for you, either.
I am not thankful for canned cranberry sauce. Whose idea was that? How do you even eat that? Dip the turkey in it? It’s like solid ketchup or something. Gross.
I am not thankful for the immense amount of ironing I will have to do to make the Thanksgiving-themed napkins, tablecloths and place mats presentable.
I’m not thankful that I have to write this column from home when my vacation has already started. Have you ever tried finding something new to say about Thanksgiving? It was old news to the Founding Fathers. It’s not easy to bring a fresh perspective to the discussion.
OK, I’m exaggerating. There are so many things for which I am incredibly thankful. I’m graduating in a month, I have a great family and I am happy with my life.
But I do wish that Thanksgiving were less about a forced feeling of thankfulness and more about genuinely feeling grateful for what we do have.
Thanksgiving isn’t happy for everyone. For those who have lost people close to them or those who are spending the holiday alone, Thanksgiving can serve as a reminder of what is missing instead of a cause for celebration.
This Thanksgiving, I’ll be thankful for the things I have. But I’ll be honest about the things I can’t be grateful for.
I imagine that even the Pilgrims saw their Thanksgiving as bittersweet. They were celebrating their first harvest, but they had all left their homeland and seen members of their community die in the process.
You don’t have to be thankful for the bad economy. You don’t have to be happy about spending all day in traffic gridlock. You might not even be excited about having to spend half a week with your extended family.
There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve come to believe that having a thankful spirit is about giving thanks for a few things rather than putting a smile on and listing the top 10 things you’re thankful for this year at dinner.
And I really do hate that cranberry sauce.
Hilary Lehman is a journalism senior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
