Domestic Bliss

My favorite time of the year is upon us. Fall. I love it! I love everything about it! The changing of the leaves, the crispness in the air, the need to always carry a jacket or sweatshirt, and most of all it means Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

I LOVE Thanksgiving! It is, from my point of view, the best holiday of all! It is turkey, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, etc, etc, etc!!! Oh glorious food from the Gods! How I love each and every one of you!! Can you tell I like food?! Oh yeah, food and I have a great love affair! I love to eat it and it loves to be my constant companion. I think my left thigh is still holding onto a serving of mashed potatoes from 1992!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite because it is a holiday gathering that is not about presents, it's about FAMILY!! Being thankful for the family you have, the family you've gained, and for the ability to gather and enjoy one another's company.

It's a laid-back festivity. You don't have to dress up. Growing up, we usually did, but me, now, no way! I'm lucky to be showered and out of pajamas by the time the food hits the table! It's a meal that's all about gluttony! You almost feel like a caveman with a turkey leg in your hand, "Ungabunga, me love this fooood! Marrumm-umm-umm.....It good....Marrumm-umm-umm.....Me needs more!!"

And every year you set a time to eat, or a time for everyone to be at your gathering spot, but your meal is not typically ready. No, usually the meal will run an hour or so late, at least mine typically go this way! But, if anyone complains, you're gettin' a Smack-Down, WWE style! Seriously, this is a cardinal sin! Don't complain about eating a meal you will soon have the pleasure to fill yourself full of! Snack on anything you can find, and wait patiently because the pay off is a meal, a feast, that is so decadent it only happens once a year!

I have been a married woman for many years now and have grown a great fondness for cooking. It's something that I have found I do well and something I put a lot of heart into. So, Thanksgiving has always seemed my perfect venue. It's a time for my family to enjoy being together and a time to eat a meal that was prepared out of love and gratefulness for those whom I will sit down with at the table.

Don't get me wrong, the Thanksgiving meal is a huge undertaking, but it just seems so worth it! To place a feast upon the table, to look at it with pride for all of your hard work, and to then watch with pleasure as the ones you love the most enjoy the fruits of your labor. It is my Tour de France, my World Cup, my Olympic event!

And never in my wildest dreams did I think, growing up, that I would find pleasure in toiling over a meal from the wee hours of the morning til it's presentation later that afternoon. In fact, I would say being a domesticated woman was more of my antithesis, back then. It was NEVER something I thought I would find pride in! No, I was going to go out and climb the professional ladder! Shatter the Glass Ceiling! Make a NAME for myself!

Funny that what I have found years later are the names I enjoy most are Mom, Wife, Friend.

How about you? Do you find you gain more satisfaction in your domestic role than you ever thought you would? Have certain domestic tasks become sources of pride for you? Or is there some event in your life you look forward to more than any other because it gives you the chance to show off your skills? Let me know. I'd like to hear!