It has been a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, after a bit of a rocky start on Wednesday when I ran into some roadblocks in obtaining some essential food items for the weekend. I guess in past years I've gone earlier in the week, but I was completely blindsided by the insane parking lot and hour-long line to pick up a HoneyBaked ham and turkey breast - only to discover there were no turkey breasts left. I did track one down on the other side of town, so all was not lost, and I even got some good audiobook listening in. Still, it rattled me.
But we had a delightful Thanksgiving Day, complete with lots of fresh produce from our farmers - such a treat! There's something very relaxing about just spending a day fixing one dish after another, with plenty of time for a nap. And then eating all of that delicious food with my sweetie!
A fun thing about my volunteer gig with the Contributor is that my shift is on Friday afternoon, so this was the third year that I was lucky enough to spend the day after Thanksgiving serving my community, which is something I'm very thankful for. And you'll be happy to hear that everyone we spoke with had enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal, whether they're currently or formerly homeless.
Yesterday was the second time that a dear friend from work and I have offered a holiday drop-in craft program on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It's so fun to see people of all ages making art together. We call it a "craft buffet" and just put out all kinds of supplies - jingle bells, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, felt, cloth, papers, stamps, stickers, magazines to cut up, glue, glue sticks, tape, crayons, markers, coloring pages, etc. You should see the amazing things people make! This year we partnered with Turnip Green Creative Reuse and I even pulled some things out of my closet, so I'm hoping it got folks thinking about making things as gifts for the holidays and repurposing things they might find in their own homes.
So having been able to experience pampering, service, and creativity this weekend, I woke up this morning aching to get out in nature for a bit. I'm so lucky to live near a beautiful park and it was a gorgeous morning for a walk. There's something so powerful for me about the feeling of walking on a trail. It helps me get back into balance. My mind stops racing and enjoys taking in the sights and sounds. My feet love walking on the earth.
I've also been enjoying wonderful birthday gifts this weekend: Moonrise Kingdom and A Monk in the Inner City (thanks Dad and Katie) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Pema Chodron's Coming Closer to Ourselves (thanks Mom and Steve)!
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