When you think Thanksgiving, you think turkey, stuffing, and, of course, pie. The real purpose of Thanksgiving is pretty self explanatory, but who actually thinks about what they’re thankful for? I think it’s safe to say the majority of us think more about how much our mouths are drooling rather than the countless things we’re thankful for when we sit down at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
This is how I felt every Thanksgiving, the holiday of food babies and unbuttoned pants. This year, everything feels different. Probably because sadly, this will be the first time in 18 years that I won’t be spending Thanksgiving at home with my family. Yeah, yeah, depressing, but I’ll live. I’ve already gone three months without seeing my family, so an extra week won’t kill me. Plus, it’s not like I will be living in solitary confinement, staring at the walls and twiddling my thumbs for five days, thanks to a kind friend who has offered to adopt me into their home and feed me (little does she know how disgustingly much I will eat). I really have nothing to complain about. But as I hear people around campus talk about their mom’s homemade food or the comfort of their own home, I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. What hits me hardest is hearing about how excited they are to see their family, whom they haven’t seen forever. And boom, I realize that is all I want right now. Yes, even more than the turkey (or even the pie), I want to be with the people who mean the most to me, telling them about my first semester of college and listening to their stories of the past few months. This whole semester, so far, has been a blur of first exciting (and stressful) experiences, but things are finally slowing down and I am realizing how much I really miss home. Cliche, but sometimes you don’t realize what you’re thankful for until it’s not right there in front of you. Of all the wonderful friendships you make, nothing can compare to the bond that you share with your family. I can say I that the distance and time away from home has made me aware how lucky I am to have people in my life who I dearly miss.
This year when I sit down at the dinner table, I’m looking past the turkey and the stuffing for a second to be especially thankful for all the familiar faces I didn’t get to see this Thanksgiving because it’s important to appreciate your family, not just when you’re with them, but when you’re really, really far away. (I will also be thankful for the new faces at the table from saving me from a week long stay at an apocalyptic campus, and then I will proceed to stuff my face.)
If you are going home for the week, be sure to eat turkey and stuffing like there’s no tomorrow and fight over the last slice of pie, but most importantly, be sure to value what the word “home” really means and hold onto the special moments you get to spend with your family. That, my friends, is what you should be truly thankful for this Thanksgiving.
