pre-Thanksgiving Chaos

I enter the grocery store. Instantly I'm hit with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Babes tucked away like a kangaroo's joey, as their mama pushes a shopping cart, fully loaded with Thanksgiving deliciousness. Business men and woman with grab-and-go coffee juggle the basket, the cell phone, and the shopping list, all during their lunch hour. Families pace aisle after aisle debating the canned or fresh route for their traditional holiday sides. 

Normally, this would overwhelm me. But as my sidekick and I stand with my four-item basket in hand, surrounded by Thanksgiving's big-timers ,  I get a sense of peace. I feel no stress, no negativity. The consistent beeping of bar-coded items being scanned brings me joy. The sight of frozen spinach, canned dinner rolls, Cornish game hens and canned cranberry sauce hold their own to mighty eighteen-pounder, yams, marshmallows, potatoes, fresh cranberries, all the beginnings of  traditional home-cooked fixin's. It is all Thanksgiving. It is done out of love.  And as I hear the S.O.S from a flooded cashier, I smile. I'm hooked. I'm hooked on this holiday's crack that is about family, friends, loved ones, sweet and savory, PUMPKIN!!!, stuffing, turkey, wine, more pumpkin, chilly weather, mittens, and food comas.

This holiday season is about sharing joy, being with loved ones and making new traditions and memories. The high speed, high energy, hustle and bustle of this time of year isn't for everyone, but I think it's for me!