Stephen Witherden’s Website :: Angst :: Glass half full

Today is Thursday the 23rd of November. For most of the world it’s just like any other day, or perhaps it’s celebrated as a harvest festival. For Americans it’s a special holiday: thanksgiving. It’s a time in which the Americans remember their history and the hardships faced by the early settlers (along with some of the less edifying aspects of their history).

One of the most interesting developments of this holiday, however, is it has become a time for reflection and for family. A time to sit back, take stock and appreciate one’s family and friends. The Americans have a saying: “no one should spend thanksgiving alone”.

Well, I was planning on doing a weekend trip to somewhere over thanksgiving but I decided not to, instead I am going to slow down, take a break and take stock of where I am. I have bought some stationary and plan on writing hand-written letters to family, because I know it’s always nice to receive a handwritten letter.

Thinking about family, it’s so easy to get disillusioned: alone in a foreign country, no close friends, no family: not much in the way of a social network to fall back on. Still, even faced with yet another long weekend to spend by myself I have to admit that I have a lot to be thankful for. Career, car, savings, travel, life really hasn’t been much better than this and it’s only looking to improving.

To top it all off, I have discovered a good quality Vodka I can actually drink here. It’s called “Grey Goose” and it’s from France. The quality of the Vodka makes an incredible difference to the drinking experience. I highly recommend spending the extra money and getting something decent.

So for these reasons, my glass is more than a little half full this year. Happy thanksgiving, everyone!