ice cream cone life

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you on the north side of the world. 

While I am and always have been a great promoter of the turkey-laden holiday, today we are not celebrating nor is it likely that we will be doing so on fourth-Thursdays-in-November to come. Do not get me wrong, I am a stickler for traditions what with their obscure dates and at times ridiculous rules. In essence, holidays and traditions are nothing more than repeating firmly established protocols. This repetition, in turn, gives us solace and time for reflection. When one knows the hardship of winter, there is nothing more comforting than sharing a filling meal whose menu has been predetermined. 

But, alas, today marks the day that I and my household break from tradition, not to forsake it, but rather to establish a new one. From this year forth and those that come hereafter, as long as we live in the southern hemisphere, we will celebrate a Day of Thanks in May, as it should be, according to the seasons. Because, I must tell you that 14 hours of sunlight, spring greens, strawberries, and miniskirts do not a Thanksgiving make. In fact, Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday due precisely to the fact that it is a reflection of the season's bounties. A coming together in appreciation before times get tougher. It is thus, just not possible, to celebrate such a day at the end of Spring when it seems that the world can hardly get more beautiful, the days are ever longer, and pumpkins and apples won't be ripe for months.

Therefore, friends and family, do not pity me when I tell you that this Thursday was like any other beautiful Spring day. There was no pie, there was no turkey, there was no celebration, but those things will come. Perhaps, like this past Day of Thanks in May we, with close friends, will feast on rabbit in addition to stuffing and potatoes and all of the other goodies. Perhaps we will create a song, or choose not the fourth, but the third week of the month. That is the beauty. At this point, while we are still cultivating our routines, traditions, and protocols, anything is possible.