A Quiet, Peaceful Thanksgiving.

 I enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday.   Alone.   

Now, before you begin feeling sad for me... (Are you feeling sad?  For me?)   I was able to enjoy a full turkey dinner and listen to my music without upsetting anyone or having to engage in any mentally taxing conversation.  Lately,  I have been listening to AI generated jazz music...  Which is actually pretty good.   Kind of like hearing different versions of songs from your favorite artists (Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole. etc...)  And if it is inevitable that the Machines will take over and begin the dystopian apocalypse that everyone is warning us about...  I might as well enjoy their Music while they attempt to win over our loyalty.  (Before they destroy us.....)  

Oh,  I'm not bringing this up to curry favor with the Machine World (Skynet) that will usher in the Terminators.  I've already accepted that Humanity has doomed itself.  Might as well enjoy the music and find some level of peace while we are here.  

But before this blog post gets a too dark about a grim and hopeless future,  I will try to chat about what I accomplished during my free time.  Focus on the positives!  

As mentioned before,  I cooked a Turkey!   With Mashed potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberries, and Cool Whip!!!.   With some  Pumpkin Pie.  

I personally think Pumpkin pie makes Cool Whip taste better.   In fact, I would wager I never eat Cool Whip without it!  

That was supposed to be a joke... But not really. (By now, it is a Ubiquitous Internet Meme!)    Let's face it.   Everyone LOVES smothering their slice with as much Cool Whip your Mom will let you get away with.  And if you no longer have a mother or wife keeping you from having fun,   then you can build your own Pumpkin Pie Castle with a Moat of Cool Whip!  

And that is why I ate an entire pumpkin pie.... By myself.   (Because no one loves me....) 

But I digress.

I also recovered from the run.   Who would have thought a 2 mile run would have wiped me out as it did.  I was looking back and last year I ran 6 miles and hardly mentioned it.  Not only that...  I continued to run 6 miles at least once a week all winter!    I wonder what happened between now and then?   ( Besides the obvious answer: Lyme disease... I got bit by a tick twice last summer!)  Of course the plantar fasciitis is a common thing for me.   I have had that before.   However,  all of the other joints and muscle pains seem like a rather accelerated aging process. Should I be worried? 

Naaa.   I'll live.  And then eventually die.   And then I won't feel any pain.   So all this pain is serving a purpose to let me know that  at least I'm still alive.  Which is a good thing! If you think about it for more than 30 minutes.    And besides,   after an entire day of light activity and watching Youtube Videos... I feel slightly better today. 

See!   Things are looking up. 

I actually had enough energy to cover the drafty windows with some plastic sheeting today.    

Ever have to do that?   I remember the house I grew up in... With those drafty windows that were flaking and falling apart.  Dad would have to staple plastic sheets around the frames and that would frost up on the inside.   Mom would get mad at Eric and I for peeling the paint and cracked chalk from the warped frames... Because that is what Kids do.  

Eventually  Dad got new windows and the winter ritual went the way of the Dodo....  Until now.   Hey!  At least I know the process!   And with a little knowledge of physics and heat transfer,  I now know the reason and theory behind the plastic coverings.  Makes much more sense to me now.  (Hurray for Physics!   And education....)  

So now, I'm enjoying a warm Hot Cocoa  with a gentle, glowing fire in the fireplace.  One of the perks of having an older house is that they still have a working fireplace!   Which is now more for decoration rather than keeping the place warm.  Still,  I will take the peace and tranquility that comes from a small log on a small fire rather than watching an episode of  "Dancing with the Stars" or whatever reality TV there is these days. 

And that is really what this blog post was originally supposed to be about.   The peace that comes from spending the holidays alone.   Don't get me wrong,  I would have enjoyed spending the day with friends and family... ( Not much family left anymore...) But having "alone time" is not so bad if you enjoy your own company.   And I like me!  (Not that I want to make any clones of myself....That would be.... weird.) 

By the way,   whenever I write about these random streams of consciousness,  there is occasionally  someone who does not get my humor....  So let me just say,  that you should take everything I write about with a large packet of Kwik Trip salt.  I'm kidding about most things.   Although I do enjoy the peace of being alone.   And.... really,   Are we ever really alone?   I would argue never.   God surrounds us all, whether we "see Him" or not.  A Cat hidden under the couch,  a bird outside the window, the sound of traffic outside your home...   You are only "alone" if you want to ignore all the elephants in the room.  

But hey!  That is just my random thought for the day. 

I volunteered for work tomorrow at 8 AM.   So I should probably get to bed a little earlier tonight than usual.  It should be an easy day and kind of fun.  Driving around a Forklift around and building things is actually rather enjoyable.  "Find the Art and Fun in all that you do."   Said someone important and wiser than me.  (Maybe it was me!   I can't remember all of the cool phrases I have ever come up with.) 

But for now...  Some rest...  And peace...   As I thank the Lord for another beautiful day.   And try to make every second count.