My family hates it,

mostly because it’s an obsession of mine.

It happens every time we get back from vacation

or a family reunion or any big event

.          .          .I   CAN’T   LET   IT   GO!

When we come back from vacation I ask questions like,

“Hey, do you remember what we were doing exactly this time last week or three weeks ago or even,

THIS      TIME      LAST      YEAR?”

Drives’em  crazy.

It’s late.

All are asleep.

I just finished watching parts of the third of three football games.     .     .

Unlike years past
WE were homebound;
we did not do more traveling today

than a gaggle of Turkey’s

P R E-T H A N K S G I V I N G;

I can’t tell you how many times

I’ve walked back into the kitchen after the big dinner,

the table was cleared,

dishes done.     .     .
Thank God the refrigerator door

doesn’t have an automatic lock on it after a certain amount of accessing times.     .     .

My pants are tight (yeah, even these sweat pants)
and my heart is even fuller.      .      .

I    R E – M  E  M  B  E  R.         .         .

constantly putting back together the pieces of my life

and those that have

 t      h      a      n      k      f      u      l      l      y

 intermeshed their fabric into my Tapestry.       .       .

Is   I T    O v e r ?

I think not.       .       .

This won’t be the first time you’ll see something like this here.     .     .

I am always reaching back and bringing it all forth again;

I think the    r e a l    Thanksgiving
isn’t on the day with all of the parades,

football,

repeated eating fests—-

it’s the  DAYS  After.     .     .

EVERYONE  is Thankful on  THAT  day!

But it’s the days following where the

T   H   A   N   K   F   U   L        M   E   T   E   R

might find its truest test.      .      .

What then?

Get your Thanksgiving  ON

the days following when Time blurs on to the next Holiday;

Seriously, are we less thankful the days following?

Do we have to reach back to actually RE-MEMBER

or is it, truly, not just a day, or a season–

Dare it actually be a Lifestyle?

Well.       .       .

it’s what I ponder

as I finish that last lonely piece of pie—

it  was begging for it!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.              .              .

I just can’t let it go.         .         .

I’m thinking

I’m thanking

I’m THINKING

I’M THANKING.       .       .

that could be a Great thing.         .         .

A Very Great, Tasty,

FULL – FILLING  THING.       .       .

Y  o  u ?

As much as you JUST

celebrated THANKSGIVING

.         .          .and even though your Stomach might still be full,

I hope your heart is EMPTY enough to

truly continue this Season of

T     H     A     N     K     S
G           E          T          T          I          N          G

.          .          .may it be way better than you have planned

or    i m a g i n e d

What’s  YOUR  Piece of Pie?

Mine is Pecan Pie.       .      .

but Pumpkin will do just fine.       .        .

ESPECIALLY    IF    I    DON’T    WAIT    UNTIL    THANKSGIVING    DAY

You?

Who was your best friend in 6th grade?

I had about two or three of them who we all hung out together

before, during and especially after school.

We were in Mrs. Glass’s class

and she was looking right at Louie Pepino and I

as she told us the story about the Ant and the Grasshopper?

Remember it?

The Grasshopper wasted his hold Summer playing and having fun while the Ant worked hard every day to prepare for the long Winter ahead and sure enough, when the Winter came, because the Grasshopper did no planning but just fooled around and had fun every day he died, while the Ant was nice and cozy enjoying the rewards of his hard work during the Summer.

I’ll never forget what Louie said to Mrs. Glass after she told this story.

“Mrs. Glass.       .       .

the Ant died one day too, didn’t he?  

And.          .          .

and he never lived or had any fun at all.”

K                          A                          B                        A                          M

Louie   got   detention   for   a   week

and didn’t have many Grasshopper moments after school

but he sure did become quite a Teacher,

himself  in class that day.           .           .

one that I unfortunately mostly have forgotten than remembered.      .      .     .

Y    O   U ?

If   you   think   that   being   a

C   a   r   i   n   g        C   a   t   a   l   y   s   t

means being more of an Ant than a Grasshopper.    .    .

t  h  i  n  k     a  g  a  i  n

It’s  even  more  than  just

about   balance.

It  means  having  Pumpkin  Pie  before  Thanksgiving

J     U     S     T             B     E     C     A     U     S     E

Somewhere in the 1990’s the term,

C o m p a s s i o n    F a t i g u e

became very vogue in describing the mental distancing

some healthcare professionals as a way to protect themselves.

According to Carol Taylor, Director of the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, she states setting realistic goals is key:

“You go into healthcare because you want to save or help people.  Nowhere along the way does anyone tell you that doing good might be (end of life) hospice treatment, instead of the next best drug trial.  We need to train and culture healthcare workers that this is a natural part of all of this.  It doesn’t mean that someone failed.  It’s getting to the point where it’s as acceptable to progress in a path toward a peaceful death as opposed to ‘I’m going to fight ever last inch’ Because you do get set up to think you’ve failed.”

THE   LITERATURE

now suggests that we maintain a professional network of people who are also dealing with the same issues;

that we exercise,

that we read,

that we spend significant time away from ‘the office’

 and more time with family

and friends,

maintain our sense of humor

and that we have more

G   R   A   S   S   H  O  P  P  E  R      M  O  M  E  N  T  S

and  less

ANT   CONSEQUENCES

.      .      .that we have a Piece of Pie.      .      .

not  just  ONCE

but  in

A   W  H  I  L  E,

too!

So.       .       .

how about that piece of pie,

ANT  BETTY?

Psssssssssssst:

Mrs Glass may not be all that happy,

but hey,

even she likes a good piece of pie—-

even if it’s not Thanksgiving!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm:

(HAVE   A   SECOND   PIECE!)