Finding Thankfulness

As COVID Thanksgiving approached, I was scoffing at the idea of celebrating or being thankful at all.  I thought "C'mon!  2020 has sucked.  We're not supposed to gather together.  What's the point of a big meal when you're not gathered with a big group?  Let's just skip Thanksgiving this year!"  Yes, the COVID blues had definitely gotten to me.  But, as I reflected, I realized I had some big things to be thankful for.

First of all, my HEALTH!  Primarily that I'm not sick with COVID.  But also that my body remains healthy and strong.  Maintaining my fitness routine has been a key coping mechanism for me this year.  Within the last month, as I was reaching the point where my motivation for at-home workouts was fading fast, I discovered not only one, but two groups doing outdoor workouts nearby.  And, let me tell you, these workouts are so much more than exercise for all of us.  It's a reason to get up from our screens and chairs, to get out of the house, to be part of a community when our normal sense of community is so shattered.  So, together we kicked off Thanksgiving day with punishing sets of squats, lunges, and high knees that made my leg muscles burn but also warmed my soul.

My Tuesday evening boot camp group

Second, my RESOURCES - a JOB with steady income, a ROOF over my head, and a pantry stocked with FOOD.  On the days I go into the office, I pass a tent on the sidewalk.  I wonder about the occupant and what brought him to this point, but also about the physical practicalities of maintaining a warm, dry home through rain, wind, and cold.  My biggest concern on that front is choosing the  temperature setting on my thermostat.  My steady paycheck also meant I had no concerns about going to the grocery store to buy whatever my heart desired to eat on Thanksgiving.  In the end, I decided against a fancy, complicated meal.  Instead I made a big pot of butternut squash soup and a tray of popovers, which provided some Thanksgiving flavors without a lot of fuss and plenty of leftovers for the coming days.

My Thanksgiving "feast"

Finally, GOOD NEIGHBORS.  All of the neighbors I've met so far have been friendly.  Beyond my immediate neighbors, the ladies most active in my neighborhood association have recruited me for several projects to brighten our community.  We organized the Halloween celebration last month and "planted" a Thankful Tree in the park, adorning it with leaves of gratitude.  It was through them that I connected with the outdoor workout groups.  I ended my Thanksgiving Day in one of their backyards, where we sat around the fire pit, drinking cocktails, eating Thanksgiving desserts, playing some party games, laughing, and enjoying a beautiful autumn evening.

Our Thankful Tree, woven with cloth into the park's fence

In the end, the holiday I had wanted to skip ended up giving me many things to be thankful for.

Pandemic Halloween

It seemed like the pandemic was threatening to cancel Halloween, but my neighborhood in Arlington, VA was determined not to let that happen.

Erica is truly frightened by this dinner party

I volunteered with my neighborhood association to put together an outdoor, socially-distant, family-friendly Halloween event.  Held in the local park, activities included a spider web maze, scavenger hunt, dance party, and live music.  

New for Erica's resume: spider web maze creator

Thankfully, the weather cooperated by not raining or being too cold.  Which was lucky because it POURED the next day, turning the ground into a soupy mess.  But, for the time being, everyone enjoyed being outside together.  As dusk fell, families departed for trick-or-treating.

Volunteers pose for a pic. Erica is on the right as Cruella

After a quick stop at home for some spiked cider, I joined other volunteers in strolling the neighborhood to check out the trick-or-treating.  We stopped by this amazingly decorated house with multiple scenes of graveyards, witch's cauldrons, the living dead, ghosts, cannibalism, and more.  I overheard someone say it took the homeowner over two weeks to put up all the decorations.  (Both the first and last pictures in this post are from that house.)

Ghoulish seance

While that house definitely had the most extensive and intricate decorations, many others also got into the Halloween spirit and had creative contact-less candy delivery systems including candy shoots, bags hung on the fence, or bowls set out on the steps.  Overall, the day had a festive environment and was certainly a Halloween for the pandemic-history books!