Truly thankful

[muckefuck]

Last night, I was ecstatic. I said to monshu, "I wonder if any psychologists have ever studied the happiness effect of entertaining." Then I sent him on his way with enough leftovers for his midnight snack (as I told my sister, I'm convinced he enjoys the smell of the turkey roasting and the cold turkey sandwich in the middle of Thanksgiving night more than the actual meal itself) and just basked. On my couch. In my beautiful living room.

For the first time since I moved in, I felt really comfortable there. Sure, there are flaws--touchups to be done, a disassembled cabinet in the corner, a future focal point which is currently a screaming eyesore--but overall, it came together. I served drinks from my Chinese cabinet on my cheap IKEA coffee table disguised with a pandan leaf runner from Pier One and chatted away with our friend from Louisville while monshu bustled in the kitchen. (Yes, yes, there are photos.)

He, btw, continues to solidify his status as the HERO OF ALL TIME. Not only did he fix every dish except the cornbread I baked for the stuffing and the sweet-and-sour brussel sprouts and maple-pecan-pumpkin cheesecake our guest brought, but he washed up as he went so that, and the end of the night, I had a dishdrainer full of clean dishware and a token amount of serving dishes and glassware to wash (which I, naturally, still haven't gotten to). That afternoon, he polished by great-grandmother's silver until it gleamed, arranged the dried herbiage for the entryway, offered incense to my departed grandmother, and brought order to the kitchen.

To quote bunj, "He's a keeper."

I'm not one to be selfish with my happiness. Without monshu to fawn over or LiveJournal to update, I turned to the phone. First I called Nuphy, who's been increasingly confined to bed by problems with his dressings. He was having his Thanksgiving meal of lipids-through-a-tube and worrying about the silly Swiss Miss, who was driving down that night from upstate NY. Then I called my sister. One of the themes of the meal's conversation had been the family Christmas, where the contrasts between me and monshu are huge. For the first time in years, he visited his family last Christmas, had a rotten time, and vowed never to go again. There's only one Christmas in my life where I wasn't with my folks: The year I lived in Germany. I recently reread my entries from last year and was struck by how full of excitement (and how much better written) they were than most of those since.

A lot of it boils down to our relationships with our sisters. monshu is so estranged from his, I constantly forget that they are less than two years apart--almost the same gap between me and mine. Both women are married with two kids, but that's were the resemblance ends. My sister is urban, cosmopolitan without being jaded, and has always been interested in and accepting of the men in my life. Staying with her is a pleasure, we never run out of things we enjoy talking about, and I have the greatest respect for her talents and accomplishments. So I called her up and told her this. In the course of the conversation, she brought me to a new appreciation of some of the challenges my mother has been facing. I also got the skinny on the dinner hosted by my father (who's very honest about the fact that he's not dealing at all with his mother's death yet) from three different perspectives--hers, bunj's, and e.'s.

I am so lucky to have fantastic siblings like those three, and I know it. I'm lucky as hell to know people like keyne and topaz_munro, both of whom expressed their appreciation of me--and all the people on their Friends lists--by means of a Thanksgiving tour-de-force I can't begin to match. I work at a decent job, I have plenty of money I've done little to earn to spend on stuff I like, I live in a kickass town, but most of all, I have my health. I've always been thankful for that, but Nuphy's annus horribilis has elevated that gratitude to new heights. It's just the most recent of countless life lessons he's taught. I'm fortunate to know him.

Comments

[keyne.livejournal.com]

I'm lucky as hell to know people like keyne and topaz_munro, both of whom expressed their appreciation of me--and all the people on their Friends lists--by means of a Thanksgiving tour-de-force I can't begin to match.

'twas fun, for both of us. We don't get excuses to thank our friends often enough.

Nuphy's annus horribilis has elevated that gratitude to new heights. It's just the most recent of countless life lessons he's taught. I'm fortunate to know him.

And thanks for the reminder -- I am way overdue for sending him a get-well card!

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I'm SO happy it went well! There is nothing like the joy of knowing that a dinner party went really well. Yay you!

(p.s. do you have any thoughts on when you'd like to see me fly up there?)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

In the bleak midwinter? You could help us host my housewarming!

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I'll call you: we'll talk. :-)