SeanFromCanada's Blog

Originally posted on Oct 13, 2014

I chopped wood every day this weekend.  For some, this might sound like hard labor, or a ‘job to get done’.  Not for me.  This is leisure time, music on, no distractions…outside with my thoughts.  I love it.  There are some events and activities that are so much more than just act itself.

In Canada, Thanksgiving weekend comes with much less fanfare than in the US…but it’s still a welcome and anticipated time of year, filled with tradition, family, friends and food.

We set out for our cabin Thursday afternoon, with the amazing fall colors to guide us into the mountains.  I love this time of year, the weather still warm enough to truly enjoy being outside, and the visible changing of the season is always something to cherish.  The roads were clear and the drive nothing but pleasant.

I’ve mentioned that if I had the option, I’d take a pill 20 of the 21 meals of the week.  So what about the 21st meal?  Ah, “the 21st meal“…that almost has a biblical ring to it wouldn’t you say? Perhaps it is, as these are the meals that are moments; time spent present and engaged.  The conversation worthy of the participants, the interactions full of care, love, wisdom and feelings.  The food is somehow woven into the fabric of the event…it’s important, and a key element to the interaction that’s occurring.  These are the meals worth attending, with your family, with your friends…with people you value.  And Thanksgiving dinner this weekend was one of those meals.

Every family, and individual chef, has their ways for preparing the turkey, and all the fixings that go with it.  I won’t profess to know of right or wrong.  I won’t bother to describe the care that goes into each dish…that’s not my expertise.  I will tell you though, that the food was a beautiful part of the dinner.  Each dish anchored the conversation and spurred on the happiness and love at the table.  As we sat and ate together, the flavors and smells of the meal permeated the experience, and made every second better.  I was not only thankful for the company, and the good fortune that our family’s experienced…I was thankful for the food.

I will never mis-notice a 21st meal, just to hold a point of view.  No, there are times when the meal, and all that surrounds it are made only better and more relevant because of the food…and I choose to acknowledge that.  I love the 21st Meal.  I will always choose to attend it, whenever the opportunity presents itself.  There’s no pill to replace it.

Happy Thanksgiving from Canada.