Thanksgiven

did you know theres a true meaning of thanksgiving?
i think i sort of did, but it can sneak up on you since thanksgiving is such a bullshit holiday.
this was my first thanksgiving with my family since i went off to college, and it was pretty rough.
its hard to just stop going to other familys thanksgivings cold turkey.
im not sure if youve ever spent thanksgiving with a family that isnt yours, but it can be pretty sweet.
people tend to treat you like a wounded baby raccoon they found on the side of the road. they assume you must be pretty sad, and they know you won’t be around for long, so they go out of their way to make you comfortable.
with your real family, people are a lot more comfortable asking you to rake the leaves or help out with home improvement projects.
so halfway through the meal i excused myself from the table and drove to a friends house. i knocked on the door and told them that my family had all just suddenly died at once and could they make room at their table?
all i got from them was an offer to call 9-11.
realizing there were no real friends here, i told them it was alright and drove a couple of towns over to find a 7-11 where they wouldnt know me, and where i could buy a hot dog to recapture some of the magic of my first thanksgiving alone.
cause if you have the right attitude, lonely thanksgiving can be as good as thanksgiving with someone elses family.
it makes you feel tough.
so i got my hotdog and started eating it right there in the store. the guy at the register asked me to leave, but i told him i was an orphan.
a homeless orphan.
and it was cold outside.
the guy said that he knew what it was to be a leaf in the wind (?) and gave me the hot dog and a honey bun for free.
then he took me in the back to show me his collection of girly mags.
then it quickly stopped being cool.
i dont want to bore you with the details, but it turns out there are serious advantages to not actually being on the margins of society, and having people in your life who care enough to make you dinner even if it isnt for some holiday.
because usually strangers dont want to make you a nice meal.
in fact, sometimes they want to...
like i said, i dont want to bore you with the details.