When it's not work time, usually it's a pair of jeans, a shirt with maybe a long-sleeve shirt over it, and gym-shoes (or my dorky hiking shoes, which Jenna loves!). If I'm feeling really motivated, I'll even comb my hair!! If not, my dingy Red Sox hat it is.
A far cry from what my female counterparts go through to get ready....men, ughhhh!
I know, I know....we have it easy. We don't shave, we fart all of the time, burp at will, over-eat, smell, and are in-general just pretty disgusting (just wait until Thursday! Your whole house is going to smell because of us!)
So, as my mind was wandering as I put on the same looking close day-after-day, I started to think with Thanksgiving around the corner of how our brethren dressed. For instance, Pilgrims...it seems like every picture of a Pilgrim I see is a man wearing knickers, high-socks, pointy black shoes, a log-sleeve shirt buttoned all-the-way up to the top, and a hat with a belt around it. Just think if I showed up like this to a meeting!! Do you think they would take me seriously? Ha, probably not. This style slowly evolved, though most of our earliest Presidents even donned the high-sock, knicker look.
Women, it wasn't much better for you. Everything was pretty much covered up, and the dresses seemed to be overly fitted for someone whose job was to just raise the kids, clean the clothes, milk the cow, collect the eggs, and cook (yes, we've come a long way).
If we go back further, it's funny to see what the trend was for that period of time. Actually my Hey Nelly video does a good job of depicting thist: www.heynelly.com. If it was King James and his Knights in shining armor, or Neanderthal vs. Homo Sapiens wearing pretty much nothing, each period of time represented what the norm was for that specific period of time.
Let's just go back to the 50's and 60's when letter-men sweaters, playing chicken, tight jeans, keds, and parted hair were swell, or the 70's when bell-bottoms and discos were groovy, or the 80's when lightening lines, flat-tops, and roller-rinks were cool, or in the 90's when flannels, timberland boots, and tattoos were phat. We can't forget parachute pants or starter jackets either!!! Those were awesome. The 2000's, well, we've seen better decades, but things like social media, Apple, and the Patriots, have changed life as we know it! (how can 1-team win 3-Superbowls in 1-decade...c'mon!).
Now, if you've lived through any of these periods of time, which more than likely you have, take a second and remember those special moments...moments that bring a big smile to your face....moments that make you really proud and happy. Any coming back to you? Maybe it was a football game, graduation, a winning goal, your first kiss, a new best friend, or any time of great joy. Any coming back to you?
It seems when I think of these times, they always tend to be around a central event, a culmination. But the funny thing is, is that this central event seems so constant, like I could depend on it, no matter what. It didn't care if I was in my Bulls Starter jacket, or maybe for you, the extra line you shaved in your head, or the new video game you got, it was just so dependable. You could look forward to it without hesitation, yet the central event never changes. Do you follow me? Maybe it was your birthday, a wedding, a birth, or maybe and most especially, holidays (hey, it's Thanksgiving this week!)
Do any moments of joy come from any central events in your life?
I ponder what it is about holidays that brings us so much joy, and the more I think about, the more I feel like I have the answer. What's so cool about things like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, 4th of July, is that no matter how hectic, discouraging, or mundane life is, these days bring moments of consistency into our lives. Actually, let me rephrase that. These days allow us to live in the moment. How many of us want days like Thanksgiving to end so we can get back to work the following Monday? Show of hands? Yea, not many. You see what these days do....actually, do you see what you let yourself do on these days? You let yourself live in the moment, just for that day, and never want to see the day end, because in that moment, so much joy is being experienced. Be it laughter, a backyard football game, your 3rd serving of turkey....I mean just talking about this bring a smile to my face (even chokes me up a little bit, admittedly).
I remember as a kid I would think: "I wish everyday was Christmas!!" Anyone else have the same wish....c'mon, anyone?? Ok.
You know what's so spectacular here? Is that the trend of the year doesn't matter. Who's playing on TV doesn't matter.
Days like Thanksgiving allow us to do what we truly yearn to do everyday.....just live in the moment, and be happy.....and content.....and loving....and full of joy and laughter.
I know for me, and most of the rest of you, days like these are fleeting and few and far between, but as we approach this Thanksgiving, and holiday season, let's collectively rediscover what it means to live in the moment, enjoy the day with family and friends, fill our bellies with homemade goodness, and......be thankful....for the moment.....because that's all that really matters
What if we did this everyday?
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