Thanksgiving Reflections – 2014

It is the day before Thanksgiving as I write this. 2014 has been a tough year. It started out great – bonding with the family dog during an extended winter break, returning last January to my job in Mexico City with eager new students, and enjoying a day trip with a good friend to the former spa town of Tequisquiapan. But I was living in Mexico on borrowed time, and just as I had finally expanded my local friend circle to a satisfying degree, the time came for me to return.

I have spent much of the time since then in a sort of daze. Although I’ve enjoyed scoping out my new surroundings in Eastern Tennessee, I can’t help but feel that I’m not living up to my full potential…whatever that may be. That being said, I know that 2015 will be a better year, and I’m going to do my best to find direction and stability in my life and to take on a more positive general attitude…as of this moment. For starters, I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with my parents for the first time since 1999. I can taste the cranberries already!

Giving Thanks

Continuing with the theme of being positive, I wanted to write something uplifting about the holiday. My life may have taken some strange, unexpected turns that I never would have predicted in a million lifetimes, but I still have much to be thankful for. Here are just a few things, in no particular order:

• I am thankful for turkey dinner with all the fixins.’
• I am thankful for having parents who are healthy and still married after 45 years.
• I am thankful for having Molly the Dog in my life – she’s “just a dog,” as some might say, yet she makes me incredibly happy.
• I am thankful that my sister’s health is improving.
• I am thankful for Kettle-brand salt and fresh ground pepper-flavored popcorn. It’s a real thing!
• I am thankful for my Stephen King book collection.
• I am thankful for this blog, which gives me free reign to channel my thoughts about a vast potpourri of subjects.
• I am thankful that my back isn’t hurting as much as it was just one month ago.
• I am thankful for travels near and far. I have a lifetime of memories and several hard drives’ worth of photos.
• I am thankful for Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
• I am thankful for Bill Bryson’s wonderful book “A Walk in the Woods.”
• I am thankful for Scala & Kolacny Brothers, who have turned some of my favorite songs into…some of my favorite songs.
• I am thankful for the Great Smoky Mountains.
• I am thankful for Cheerwine, a fizzy, black cherry soda-meets-Dr. Pepper concoction from the Carolinas, jam-packed with high fructose corn syrup. Something of a guilty pleasure, what can I say?
• I am thankful for llamas.
• I am thankful that the “jeggings” fashion craze has finally waned.
• I am thankful for (almost) every moment in Mexico City. While I am a different person because of the time I spent there, I’m a better person, too.
• I am thankful for second chances.
• I am thankful for everyone who helped me this year. Whether it was another set of hands to help pack my belongings for transport cross-country; whether it was a quick emergency loan; whether it was just a couch to crash on for a night or two (or three); I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without your help. You know who are…and I thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving, Loyal Reader. Feliz Día de Gracias.

Author: gringopotpourri

Gringo - aka Scott - was born outside of Chicago and has lived most of his life in or around big cities. He spent two years of his adult life in Mexico City (talk about big cities!) and fell in love with Mexican food and culture all while weathering the challenges of life in a city with over 20 million people. Life's unpredictable journey has since brought him to Tennessee, where he is close to family and to the natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains. Scott also enjoys movies, hiking, top ten lists, and travel in general. View all posts by gringopotpourri