Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving Thoughts

On Thursday Americans celebrate their uniquely home-grown holiday.

Wan gii ngoo-ug in Thai! Direct translation...
Turkey Day!

All that gobble-gobble & pilgrim stuff.

As a child, Mom kept us busy on rainy Portland [Oregon] afternoons making new pinecone turkeys for her centerpiece. Helping make decorations for the table was as much a tradition in my family as the over indulgence on T-Day of favorite foods.

A big meal tradition in my family along with the proscribed menu of turkey, dressing, mashies and yams, were Mom's homemade rolls...preferably with homemade jam. Continuing that tradition here in the "Land of Smiles" I'll be taking them to dinner when I go to my friends tomorrow. There will probably be a later posting on that one.

On this day of Thanksgiving, I feel doubly blessed this year to have the marvelous new [smart] President-elect and the first family that we the people of the US recently elected. With each new staff and Cabinet selection he is proving he has a good grasp of what the country needs and how to bring it all together. As David Brooks entitled one of his columns last week, "Obama seems determined to justify hype." That's quite okay by me and like many others, I wish he could be sworn in tomorrow.

I am equally thankful that during this period of economic hardship I am in a country with a low cost of living that will allow me to continue living within my meager budget allowance. At this immediate moment I am pleased to be in peaceful Chiang Mai and not Bangkok where all the political nonsense is playing out. It helps to have a simple lifestyle, but it is comforting to know that I can cut back further and still have a good life.

As the years rush on by, I am thankful to continue to have good health while at the same time living in a country where I can have affordable and excellent medical care should I need it.

Above all I am thankful for my friends and family. Wishing all of you a Terrific Turkey Day!

2 comments:

Philippe Guilde said...

Enjoy Thanksgiving, along with Guy and Maria. I hope you're doing all well. I've heard there have been some trouble also in Chiang Mai (one person killed). Do you know about that?

Cheers on that special times and take care

Philippe

Philippe Guilde said...

Enjoy Thanksgiving, along with Guy and Maria. I hope you're doing all well. I've heard there have been some trouble also in Chiang Mai (one person killed). Do you know about that?

Cheers on those special times and take care

Philippe