Breaking a tradition

Well, meant to post earlier, but things didn't work out today as I planned. That's been the theme lately -- things not working out as planned.

I don't like Thanksgiving. I have spent it alone for more years than I care to remember. I have no family close, and they're always busy with in-laws and trips and vacations. You could say that my Thanksgiving tradition is being alone and sad.

This year, my depression was compounded by being so sick. Antibiotic induced colitis was the diagnosis that they finally gave me after three weeks of being sick in many inventive ways. But they finally gave me meds that helped, and with a bland diet, things slowly improved.

In the middle of this, my roommate's father died. He had been sick for a while, but he passed suddenly. My roommate was close to his dad; this loss was hard. The funeral was Monday. It was a good funeral if there are such things. My roommate is coping. It takes time.

So ... I was going to be alone again this year on Thanksgiving. And between you and me, I didn't see how I could handle it. I certainly couldn't go anywhere. Didn't want to spend hours in a friend's bathroom. But I knew I could live through it. I had in the past. Will in the future. Decided I would watch old movies and sleep all day. Eat a frozen turkey dinner. It's not that bad, I told myself. Things could be much worse.

My roommate went to Walmart to buy a few things Wednesday night. He planned on going up to the city to spend Thanksgiving Day with his son and family and then go on to his mother's house to spend Friday with her and then Saturday travel to Texas to see his daughter and family.

Except that's not what happened. When he came home, he had bought a turkey breast and some rolls and a few other things that I thought he was taking to his son's. But I knew his son had fixed a turkey so I didn't know why he was buying a turkey breast. I asked. He had decided to spend Thanksgiving with me.

I tried to convince him to go on to the city. Thanksgiving is about families, and it's my mistake that I don't have one. He wouldn't go. He needed down time, he said. And his son and family were going to meet him at his mom's on Friday.

My tradition was broken. I spent Thanksgiving with a friend. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach salad, corn, rolls, and pecan pie. It was good. I was sick, of course, but it was nice to have someone else in the house. We watched TV. Old movies. The parade. And football.

I had a good Thanksgiving. Not what I expected or planned for, but there you go. Sometimes things work out unexpectedly.

Sometimes our friends give us the best gifts.