Guhhhhhh....

(Ten minutes of Thanksgiving-related ramblings. Nothing terribly exciting or original, but I'm operating under the influence of lots and lots of food.)

"Guhhhhhh," for the record, is roughly the sound that my entire body is making after having consumed the first of two (there are some upsides of having divorced parents) Thanksgiving festivals of debauchery. The sound is one that expresses the heights of satisfaction and discomfort, happiness and complete lethargy. Life is good following a Thanksgiving feast, even if it hurts a little.

Every year, I ask myself why I don't eat Thanksgiving dinner on more days than this one, because it is one of the genuine food joys of the year. Today makes me believe that gravy really needs to be a more common part of my diet. Stuffing? Definitely. There is a school of thought that argues that uncommon occurrences are more precious because of their rarity. If you celebrated your birthday seven times a year, it wouldn't be nearly as important and fun. This post-Thanksgiving bliss makes me discount that theory altogether. I could eat turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn mush, and rolls (sometimes I think that all I need are really good rolls) on a weekly basis without hesitation. I think I would probably weigh about 325 in under a month, but I would be a deeply satisfied large person.

As mentioned, my parents are divorced, which means an annual Thanksgiving double-dip. You might think that this would result in some level of stomach exhaustion or overwhelming urge to die rather than face two dining assaults of such high caliber with only a five hour break in between, but this is not the case. I love both moments of indulgence equally, and consume with exuberance at both opportunities. I think part of my point here (in addition to the obvious and deeply true notion that I am incredibly thankful for all of the amazing things in my life, the chance to eat tons of good food being relatively low but nonetheless securely on the list) is that if you're going to indulge, do it right. If you are counting calories on Turkey Day, you're going about it all wrong. There are many long stretches in life that require discipline and moderation. Today is a day that demands, in ten-foot high gravy-covered letters, for utter and complete excess. Eat, drink, and be merry.