Anti-mas at my house!

This morning I hung out with my friend David.  He had to work so we went out for breakfast. Later I am heading over to another friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  I went to Whole Foods yesterday and the parking lot was already swarming with people who looked frazzled and annoyed. What a mess!

I have been thinking a lot about the holidays this year and  I am going to do things a little differently .  In the past, I have always been the good son and endured countless Thanksgivings with relatives that really have not treated me well in the past.  This year, I told my mother that I love her very much but I need to distance myself from these people and that I would not be home for Thanksgiving.She agreed that some of them do not treat us well and indicated that her way of coping is to just not think about it.  I though about how she was being so disrespectful to HERSELF! This year, a lot has changed for me and I have been working so hard to fix things with myself.  I just cannot do that anymore.  I cannot abuse myself  for someone else anymore!

  I also thought about Christmas a few weeks ago and was talking to a friend in DC at the time.  He and I agreed that Christmas, and all of the holidays in fact, have stated to lose their meanings.  Christmas doesn't seem like its about family and friends anymore.  Its about RETAIL.  How much debt can I put myself into to make my family and friends happy.  NOT COOL.  To me, and to a lot of other people out there, the holidays are about being with people that you love.  I could care less about who gets me what and how much the spend.  I would rather have a dinner with three or four of my very close friends and just enjoy the fact that we are together!  My friend asked me what I was doing for the holidays.  I said probably nothing.  He said, good, then lets hang out.  I think it will be wonderful  He is taking the train up from DC.  My other friend David, said that he would come over too as he is not a huge fan of the commercial holidays.  We have decided to name it Anti-mas. 

I am VERY thankful to have so many wonderful people in my life.  I am thankful that my father is still in good health after a recent cardiac scare and pacer implant.  I am thankful that my Mother is handling things relatively well and is also in great health.  I am thankful for my wonderful friends who have stuck by my side for many, many years. I am thankful for Dan, my partner and best friend of seven years.  I am thankful for David, who recently came into my life. I am thankful for the beautiful world in which I live....for the ocean which gives me such a sense of peace when I am near it.  I am thankful for my life, even though it hasn't always been easy, it has always been mine and I wouldn't trade it in for anything else!

Lets all try to stop and think of each other during this holiday season.  Its not about gifts, or huge, fattening dinners, or about how much we spend.  Its about each other............