Nov 27, 2020
I have to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to thanksgiving in a RV before we left Utah. I had complained to Tyler about how terrible it would be, how emotionally unhealthy it would be for the kids to have a holiday that different from our usual, how I couldn’t even bake a turkey without an oven!
But yesterday reminded me what holidays really are. They aren’t about age old traditions. They aren’t an excuse to do the same old thing you do year after year. That’s not what makes holidays special. In fact, they are quite the opposite. They are a chance to step away from the doldrums of everyday living. A moment in time to throw away your daily schedule and routines and do something special to celebrate life and how far you’ve come. And that doesn’t need to look the same every year. In fact, changing it up can make it even more special.
Yesterday, the majority of my food came from a box or a can. We didn’t slave over a stove for hours making the perfect meal. My instant pot did get quite the workout though! But instead we focused on spending time together in ways we have been neglecting while living in the Happy Glamper.
I started the day with instant Pot cinnamon rolls. We turned on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade online in AR which was actually kind of cool! And I could watch while I prepped a pie for the Instant pot.
With the pie cooking, I got out a new 1000 piece puzzle I’ve been holding on to for awhile, waiting for the right time to do it. We squished ourselves around our tiny little table, just big enough for the puzzle. It was difficult maneuvering the box of pieces to places we weren’t working but we made it happen. We played a music station that was a mix of old hair bands and more recent alt rock and had real discussions about music and how it’s changed through the years with the kids. Age differences leveling out with a mutual love of music. And we worked that puzzle. There was no fighting or arguing or whining. We just sat and worked together, talking.
And as we finished, truly proud of our accomplishment, I started the dinner. We learned that an instant pot makes a pretty darn good little turkey! And that even though our food wasn’t prepared from carefully researched Pinterest recipes, our dishes didn’t match and some sides didn’t even make it out of the pot they were cooked in, we barely even had room for the food and not a decoration was in sight. Despite all that, we had some good food with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, fruit salad and pie, and we over ate, and it was good.
Filled with food, we gave the grandmas a call either by phone or FaceTime and chatted about the house and reminded them that even though we are living in an RV in unknown lands, we are still alive and making it work.
And we ate pie. One prepared by me and one lovingly given by friends. And it was so good because it tasted like success. A symbol that the past several months we have been placed in so many difficult situations, one after another, and one by one we have made it all work. And we have so much to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving is not about the glamour. It’s not even about the gather. It’s about taking a moment to look at all you’ve been through. All you’ve endured. And being thankful for the things that have brought you so far and kept you moving forward.
And as we finished the evening playing card games and laughing, I was truly thankful.
I hope you were all able to have a lovely thanksgiving no matter how you chose to celebrate.
