give

ah, Thanksgiving. this calm little pod of a holiday to interrupt the gathering stress-storms of a soon-to-be-over semester.

I should be reading right now. How Forests Think, by Eduardo Kohn. 200 pages more to go til I'm ready to discuss the book's theories in posthumanism class on Monday.

this afternoon, there was the traditional Thanksgiving dinner-time "go around the table and announce what you are thankful for" ritual. friend Liz's dear family and friends gathered inbetween the turkey-eating and the pie-eating to make a collaborative gratitude-flavored list. it was so kind of them all to include me. I was glad to be there with such good people and such lovely hosts.

on one hand, to list all the million luxuries and privileges I am grateful for seems selfishly performative. boastful might be the best word, really. oh, look at all my abundance here. look look. it's too obvious that not everyone has so much.

so I don't want to go on and on. but I have been thinking about all the things I have learned and the people I have learned them from. family and roommates and colleagues and mentors--so many people who have shared their own skills and experience, whether in reading or baking or sewing or shopping or crafting or budgeting or art... writing... cleaning... saving... riding a bike... thinking... questioning...

those are the things I rambled about at the dinner table today as Liz's mother served me pie.

less important than all that awesome stuff is the chocolate, nice weather, blank paper, warm blankets, and washing machines. so many things. most of it shareable--especially the skills and experiences. and that is very worth being thankful for, too.