Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays. Not only the actual day, but the days leading up to it, the mood surrounding it, and the way people treat their world around this time. People appreciate more, and think optimistically. Today I woke up ready for a day of baking and cooking, excited to be able to wear pajamas and no makeup for the entire day. I shuffled out to the kitchen, drank several cups of green tea, ate two eggs, and got to work. The first project on my list was the divine pumpkin-orange cheese cake with a chocolate crust and salted caramel topping. Other than a wrestling match against 3 packs of cream cheese and the mixer, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Something I found out, though: if you want to be thin, DON'T you dare try this recipe. I ended up eating some of the raw filling with a wooden spoon, right out of the mixing bowl. After the cheese cake adventure, I tackled the apple pie from scratch. I had never made a pastry crust, but after yelling, kneading, and A LOT of butter, I had made a fairly decent crust. I mixed up the apple filling, using the secret recipe I use every year, and ended up eating some of that as well. Once I had slit and fluted the top, it went into the oven, and the house started smelling like heaven, just like it does every year. Originally, the cheese cake and the pie were my only two missions for the day, but when I got up this morning, my mom announced in a sad, raspy voice that she had strep throat and that she was going to the doctor in an hour. Since she felt like garbage, Walter and I volunteered to prepare the 22 pound turkey so that she could rest. My brother and I actually did a pretty spectacular job, if I do say so. He cleaned out the giblets and did all the gross stuff while I prepared herb butter and chopped onions and garlic. We put the herb butter under the skin, which made me want to vomit all over the kitchen, and then we filled the cavity with the onions and garlic. I put the spiced on the top and we put it in the roasting bag and into the oven. We were a turkey-tackling team, I think we may have formed a new tradition in the process. The turkey turned out magnificently. My mom and I were also planning to run in Huffing for Stuffing, the Thanksgiving 5k run, but since she obviously is in no shape to do that now, Walter and I are doing that together as well. It's probably our last year of both of us kids living at home, and so I'm happy that we're spending this time together. To me, Thanksgiving is a time to acknowledge whats surrounds us in the present moment. In a year, my life, your life, and everyone elses lives will be radically different. We'll each look back a year from now and remember what we were thankful for. Think of the people you love, the places that are close to your heart, and the memories that you treasure. If you're feeling particularly bold, tell those people that you are thankful for them. I know that no matter how little I knew a person, if they told me that they were thankful for me, my life would brighten by several watts. When I look back on this year, I will remember what I was thankful for at this time; Campbells soup, wool socks, my family, prayers for peace, thrift store pajamas, a healthy life, Saturdays, the experiences that shape my life, new friends, tiny origami elephants, the Rocky theme song, adventures, and most of all, hope. Never take hopefulness for granted, people. Be thankful, be generous, hug someone, and eat too much pie tomorrow. -mads
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