Thanksgiving 2020

Before eating, always take time to thank the food.

Arapaho Proverb

I don’t know if this can possibly be a happy Thanksgiving for anyone in the United States right now – what with all of the chaos that has made this year a time most of us want to forget.  For me and millions of others across this nation, not much good has come of it.  If anything, though, Thanksgiving holiday moves us closer to the end of the year and further into the future.  As much as religious and social conservatives despise it, time does move forward.

I’m primarily thankful I’ve reached this point without losing my mind.  I had some moments a few months ago when I didn’t know if I’d live to see the dawn.  Depression and anxiety have always been two of greatest nemeses.

But here I am.  I’m still thankful I have the same small cadre of friends I’ve had for years.  And I’m thankful I have a home and have had enough financial resources lately to get through this – the worst period of my life to date.  Too many people have neither.

While I’m glad I have some semblance of hope, I know there are so many people struggling more than me.  As this holiday known for family gatherings and an abundance of food hobbles along through a global pandemic, I can only cringe at the large numbers of my fellow Americans dealing with so-called food insecurity – a polite term for hunger.

There have been an untold number of food drives the past few weeks across the country; where charity outfits have been distributing free food to people.  People who are unemployed or underemployed and on the cusp of homelessness.  While the elite continue to waddle in their gluttony and an incompetent Congress dismisses the suffering the way a serial killer tosses their victims, literally millions of Americans are wondering how they’re going to survive.  This – in the wealthiest and most powerful goddamn country on Earth.

I can beseech those people to understand there IS a tomorrow.  The sun WILL rise.  And, as tough and grueling as it is, they can’t give up on themselves.

Image: Banahas, prickly pear paddles, dandelion salad and white tail deer. Photo by Caleb Condit & Rebecca Norden