Another Thanksgiving, come and gone.
I'm 26, and I'm trying to constantly remind myself that with each passing year, my parents get older, I get older, and eventually the humdrum traditions I too easily take for granted won't exist anymore.
I'm also attempting to spend some time today reflecting on everything I'm thankful for.
It sounds so cliche, I know. Everyone says that on Thanksgiving Day. Even using the word "reflecting" seems shallow and overdone.
But it really is true. It's easy for me to get caught up in feelings of negativity and anxiety. I so often find myself wallowing in self-pity and comparing my life to others around me.
Take this story for example.
The other day, I was walking into a restaurant with my dad. I had not really cared what I looked like that day; my hair was in two braids, I was wearing a stupid looking sweatshirt and basically could pass as a homeless preteen. It was not a good look for me, I'll admit.
As we were getting ready to walk in, we ran into a girl I grew up with. We had played softball, basketball, and tennis together, as well as cheerleading for years together. Basically, our childhoods intersected quite often. She wasn't necessarily a friend, but someone who knew me and would recognize me.
Turns out she's our new State Farm insurance agent, and my dad called out to her to say hello. Inside I'm thinking, "Oh my GOSH, of course we would run into her on a day like today." She looked very business professional, put together, successful.
And then there's me.
My dad says, "You remember Alexis?" She was very kind and asked how I was doing and where I was living now. I just laughed and said, "Yeah...I'm living with my parents for the time being. Looking for a job." That was the end of it and we walked in the restaurant.
I sat down and turned to my dad and said, "I knew this would happen. I look like I've done nothing with my life, and she's over there with a successful, prominent career. I feel like such a failure."
He looked at me and said, "Yeah, she has a career. In insurance. But you don't want to be in insurance. And I don't want that for you."
He went on to say, "A career in the arts, especially theatre, takes time to get your foot in the door. I was over 30 before I got my first real job that I really wanted. You cannot sit here and compare yourself to people in Appomattox who have no concept of what you want to do with your life."
And he's right, of course. My whole life, my parents have told me, "Do what you love. Do what makes you happy. Even if it means you make less money. That's what we did and we have no regrets."
I'm trying to remember that on days when I feel restless and that my life has no direction.
But here's the point of the story: that conversation made me so incredibly thankful. Not everyone has parents who support and understand their passion in life. But mine understand that I love theatre and want me to follow my dream, not just make money in a boring 9 to 5 job.
And it made me start to think about everything I have to be thankful for.
I'm thankful for this time at home, where I can clear my head, straighten out my priorities and reset where I'm headed in life.
I'm thankful for the life lessons of growing older and figuring out who your real friends are.
I'm thankful for a church that welcomes me home with open arms.
I'm thankful for friendships that are able to adapt to change and distance, especially when you didn't think it would happen.
I'm thankful for the new love I've acquired for being alone. I think it's so important to be comfortable by yourself.
I'm thankful for so much. I won't bore you by writing all of it down here.
But as cliche as it sounds...I really am truly thankful on this Thanksgiving Day.
And I hope you, my readers, have just as much to be thankful for.
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