A Different Thanksgiving

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

To be fair, it’s not my first Thanksgiving away from my family. In fact, of the nine I’ve spent away from my home state of Iowa, I’ve only made it back for a handful or so that I can remember. With Christmas lingering only weeks behind, it was often difficult and expensive to make it back twice in five weeks. 

It was this reason when I first moved away that I didn’t hesitate to say “yes!” to a trek along the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in 2012 and spent Thanksgiving traveling to Cusco, Peru. That year, while many of my family and friends spent Black Friday in line for shopping deals, I was more than 4000 miles away introducing my first international mitten kooz to the ever-delicious Pisco Sour. 

Nov 23, 2012 | Thanksgiving Day | Cusco, Peru

Two years later I was toasting two friends in Bangkok, Thailand at the bar where Hangover II was shot in Thailand, my best friend in ‘rented’ pants after he arrived to the venue in shorts not realizing there was a dress code. Being that we were in Asia and he was 6’5, the longest pants he could rent hit just above the ankles, giving him a hip and fashionable capris-look for the evening.  

Nov 27, 2014 | Thanksgiving Day | Sky Bar in Bangkok, Thailand

The following year I was back in Asia eating my way across Vietnam on a walking food tour. I can’t say or spell a single item I ate that day, but my mouth still waters thinking of the food bursting with flavor cooked in tiny kitchens buried in the oddest of places our tour guide led us to. My friend and I joined a tour of nearly half a dozen humans from other parts of the world and it’s one of my more memorable (and uniquely delicious) Thanksgiving days.

Nov 26, 2015 | Thanksgiving Day | Walking Food Tour in Hanoi, Vietnam

And most recently, I was completing my lifelong dream of standing on all seven continents where I had experienced the breathtaking views of Antarctica. Like many of my photos, my hair is in a messy bun on top of my head, unwashed, and my face makeup-free as I celebrated with incredible women from around the world whose hearts beat just as strongly to see, discover and explore this big, beautiful world.

Nov 28, 2019 | Thanksgiving Day | Oceanwide Expeditions | Antarctica

It was far from my first time away from my family for the Thanksgiving holiday.

It was, however, the first time it wasn’t my choice. And the first time I wasn’t sacrificing that time away for something I loved deeply – international travel.

To unplug for two weeks in Corporate America is challenging. Pairing the time away over a holiday not only awarded me two “free” vacation days, but also a slow-down in work in general, making the return more bearable. 

It was a time when I could fully immerse myself in another part of this world, in another culture. With each experience I learned conversational phrases of the native language (Sawatdee-kah in Thailand was hello and my favorite greeting I’ve learned) and indulged in their local cuisine (best food by far of any country – Vietnam. Weirdest thing I’ve tried - Earthworm fried patties in a market in Vietnam). 

With each experience, my soul was on fire; I was learning and growing and stretching. I would burst with gratitude at what I was able to soak in - the memories I made and the people I met. My travels have been a small consolation prize awarded to me in lieu of getting married and having children like so many of my peers.  

It was enough to feed my soul and keep me thriving.

But this year was different. I wouldn’t spend this holiday with my family or my true love for the past decade – traveling. In fact, outside of a traditional turkey dinner with friends, I would spend much of the holiday alone.

And that was okay. 

Through a great mentor at work, I’ve slowly learned the lesson of giving energy to what I can control, and not wasting it on what I can’t.

I can’t control that it’s not safe or recommended to travel internationally. Nor can I control the pandemic that’s changed the normal for millions of humans across the world and made it unsafe for me to travel home to see my family.

But I did have a choice to offer to dog sit for a little dachshund/wiener dog named Hot Dog. And that little pup brought me a ton of joy and made me feel less alone this holiday season. 

Little Hot Dog (also affectionately known as Hottie)

I joined some single friends for a traditional Thanksgiving meal and was grateful for their invite and to have a table to sit around this year. 

I invited some friends to the Drive-In theater and we braved the cold, bundled in blankets as we enjoyed an activity in the fresh, cold air.  

At night, I sipped a glass of red wine by my Christmas tree, and felt truly content in the comfort and silence of my home, 12-pounds of love snuggled in beside me.

And on my extra day off, I completed an entire 1000-piece puzzle in one day. Just because I could.

And I enjoyed every second of it. 

The holiday wasn’t without some sad moments and pangs of loneliness. But it was also filled with comfort and a peace that took decades to acquire and understand and accept.

While it wasn’t like any holiday in my past, I still experienced love, warmth and happiness. And for that familiarity, I did spent this Thanksgiving like I’ve spent all of them – with a full and thankful heart.