Thankfulness in a World That Sucks
- JuliaTimlin
- Nov 23, 2022
- 3 min read
As bizarre and outlandish as my childhood may have been, I feel like there was always at least one tradition that I observed every year that would be considered normal. Something that I’d see on sitcoms and in movies, or that we would participate in during class. But as is typical for Timlins, ours was fundamentally more chaotic.
Packed like corn on a cob, in the living room of my Mommom’s duplex, the entire Timlin clan sat at folding tables and waited (impatiently) for our annual Thanksgiving dinner, which started at 4PM, so it always felt more like a late lunch more than anything else. Before anyone could eat, my Mommom would require that we go around the room, and have every person share what they were thankful for that year.
This is a normal tradition that I feel is best utilized among smaller, individual family units. However, for a point of reference, my immediate family alone contained nine people, plus any significant other that may have been present at the time. That being said, this process always took at least fifteen minutes, depending on how sappy my Mommom wanted to get that year. Then we would pray and sing the Doxology and eat.
Well, it’s that time of year again; the time when everyone takes a day to decide that they are thankful, eat too much food, and then take a turkey nap on a distant relative's couch. But this year, I am too far from my family to attend a classic Timlin gathering. And let's be real, ever since COVID, we’ve kind of stopped gathering in the first place. Regardless, this year, I’ve moved to California, across the entire country from my family. I don’t regret this decision. In fact, that's the thing that I’m probably the most thankful for this year. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss Pennsylvania.
That isn’t what I’m getting at with this little blog post though.
“So then, Julia…What are you getting at?”
Yeah, gimmie a second.
Life is hard. As Schmidt from New Girl says, “The economy sucks, bees are dying, [and] movies are pretty much all sequels now.” And so sometimes, it is hard to look back at the year, or even our lives, and find things to be genuinely thankful for. I mean, sure, we can be thankful that we’re alive, or that we have a roof over our head and a bed to sleep in. And while those things are wonderful, (and taken for granted) sometimes it’s hard to find a reason to say “thank you” for something as simple as a house. For real though, when the world seems to be falling apart, and people can do horrible things like shoot up a drag night at a club in Colorado, you start to wonder what we actually have to be thankful for.
So, while the planet is dying and the world is on fire, here are some ideas of things you can say that you’re grateful for this thanksgiving, if your grandmother makes you say something while you’re going around the table before dinner.
There are still animals being taken off of the endangered species list
Sunflowers exist
You can find a cool rock on the ground literally whenever
Ranch dressing is good
There is a new Legend of Zelda game coming out next year
There is a weird national holiday every day of the year. Find your favorite one
Our sun hasn’t imploded yet
You can listen to your favorite song whenever you want
If you live in a place where you can go outside and see the stars
Those cool fidget slugs make a fun sound
Technology has advanced so much and you can talk to people across the globe if you're lonely
Inside jokes with friends
Love
So, yes, life sucks. The world sucks. But I like to believe that if you seek joy in everything, you can find it in anything. So this Thanksgiving, and hell, maybe every day, seek joy with me.
I really think that there is good buried within all of this chaos.
So find it. Find something to be thankful for, however small that may be.
And as always,
Be kind. Be gentle. Be well.
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