Being Thankful

A year ago, I was in Ghana on my PULSE assignment.  Thanksgiving dinner was a fried turkey that had been bought that morning by our cook and killed that afternoon by our caretaker.  Since my housemates were all from places other than the US, it was the first Thanksgiving that they had ever celebrated.  What I enjoyed most about that experience is recognizing how truly privileged I was to be having such a non-traditional Thanksgiving day experience.  The meaning of the holiday was not lost on me, as I was unbelievably thankful to have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving someplace where I recognized how much I really had to be thankful for.

This year I was away from home for Thanksgiving, but it didn't involve crossing an ocean.  We headed out out to the mountains to the house that once belonged to my husband's grandparents.  The crystal blue sky and moderate temperatures made us all happy to share the heavy burden of raking up a yard full of leaves and then (here comes the fun part) burning them in a huge bonfire.  Oddly enough, the smoke of the bonfire drew me back to my Thanksgiving experience from last year, since one of the main ways that my Kumasi neighbors got rid of trash was by burning it.  I took on the self-appointed role of fire marshal and kept the fire burning happily all evening until it was time for us to drive home.

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In years past, I was excited to pull out the Christmas decorations and Griswold-up the house with everything from colored lights to an animated polar bear.  But I just can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit this year.  Part of it is my lack of interest in the shopping and sales that has become such a key part of the holiday season.  I much prefer the Christmas season that I had last year that culminated with a very unique but unbelievably magic Christmas day at the Wli Waterfalls (see this post for a reminder of that experience).  Much like the Thanksgiving described above, being away from the more commercial aspects of the holidays helped me get in touch with the reasons for the holiday season.

Another part of my restlessness is not knowing what my next big adventure/goal will be.  Last year, of course, it was my time in Ghana, and in previous years I had found my passion in many ways, often involving being part of an ultimate team.  But these days I'm feeling a bit unfocused and unclear on my direction.  But I probably just need to sit with this feeling and see where life takes me next.