Gratitude to Go

I love the symbolism of a Circle Supper to celebrate Thanksgiving when we honor the circles of our near and dear and the cycles of our lives, of all life. When we offer gratitude for the cosmic sphere that we live on, which supports and defines our living.
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Like everyone else I know, I have been so tired -- so overworked, overstretched, overextended, overcommitted and overwhelmed, plus being out of commission with a broken wrist -- that my first thought about how to celebrate Thanksgiving this year was to have a circle dinner.

That is, a meal consisting of round organic frozen turkey burgers, round organic frozen sweet potato pancakes, tiny round frozen organic peas and that awful canned cranberry sauce of my childhood cut into rounds.

I love the symbolism of a circle supper to celebrate Thanksgiving when we honor the circles of our near and dear and the cycles of our lives, of all life. When we offer gratitude for the cosmic sphere that we live on, which supports and defines our living.

Besides, I thought I would be thankful for not having to cook.

But,

I actually like to cook. And I especially like the ritual of cooking that particular meal together with my sweetie. Cooking for days and eating and overeating and eating leftovers for days. There is no better way to express thankfulness than with somethin' luv'n from the oven.

But,

I really, really did not feel like cooking this year, what with only one functioning hand. Nor did I want to go to a restaurant for an exorbitantly expensive meal.

But,

I did want to enjoy the traditional once a year menu. I also wanted to ritualize my gratitude, especially during this period of recovery. I wanted to take the time and make the space to honor the cycles and circles of time, of relationship, of spirit.

So,

We ordered Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and guaranteed leftovers from Boston Market. And the huge amount of money that we saved went to the Philippines so we could share the bounty of our gratitude at the world table and affirm our place in the circle embrace of humanity.

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