This is the week of Thanksgiving, reflection, and preparation for the upcoming New Year! Yes, I know that we still have Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah and such to go. But Thanksgiving seems to be the kickoff to the end of the year for me.
Normally, I’d be clearing the decks as I head to Mexico mid-December and not return until early January. Not this year.
In a year of turbulence, extreme quietness and downright craziness – I’m sticking close to home. I’ve received invitations to North Carolina, Florida and Colorado, but I think I’ll be staying low this year.
It’s a strange season we’re in. The restaurants have been shut down for the next three weeks, and I expect that come Friday we’ll be asked by the Governor to stay at home more, probably with a “lockdown” order to take effect on Monday the 30th. That’s nothing more than this uneducated pundit’s thoughts and observations.
Thanksgiving for me has always been a favorite holiday. The food, the family, the fun. The sheer fact that we were celebrating all the blessings we have, means a great deal to a natural optimist such as myself.
I’ve always loved the openness of Thanksgiving in America. It’s a time of year when people just open their homes to others and welcome them in. When I was attending college in Maryland I was working in a law office and the receptionist heard I had no plans for Thanksgiving. She sent her dad to come get me. They always had a house full of people on Thanksgiving, usually Midshipman from the U.S. Naval Academy that was across the street from my college so picking me up was just another stop on the tour.
That attitude of “Come join us!” is what I love about the day. The mixing of cultures and families and experiences is what makes the day so fun for me. I love meeting new people and seeing how other cultures blend into the idea of Thanksgiving.
Maybe most of us actually like that aspect also. Maybe that ‘homecoming’ effect is also why so many of us will be travelling this weekend in spite of the pleas of the Center for Disease Control, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Governor and local public health directors across the country. That need we have for connection with family, both born and chosen, is a strong one. In this year of isolation, fear and anxiety we are all yearning for a sense of normalcy.
I know I am. As much as I’m having a fairly easy go of it with the pandemic, I’m still feeling the stress of it all. My restaurant owner friend is nervous about his future. My clients are all pressing me for faster resolution of their divorces and custody battles. I haven’t been to a gym since February and it’s showing. I feel the changes in my body from being too sedentary as I sit in front of the computer watching CNN and Fox and an endless parade of Youtube videos to distract me from the fact that I have friends I haven’t seen in months.
Life has changed radically for all of us. This is normally the time of year that I’d be catching up on movies at the Laemmle. Many of us would be shopping at the mall and doing the last minute push to the gym to look good for the upcoming holiday parties.
There will be few parties this year. No movies. No gym. It feels like the Grinch has come early to steal not just Christmas but Thanksgiving also.
But that’s not true. I have much to be grateful for, and I believe we should focus on that in this season of uncertainty. I have food, housing, my health, friends, a business that will help people through this rough season. I have loads of opportunity to be of aid to other this season.
There are many who are homeless, hungry and cold. This year, I can help others. From the very easy and painless task of buying a bag of burritos and distributing it to the men and women on the corners who are hungry, to helping out the service providers that do the public outreach to the homeless camps under the freeways, there are many ways to help.
Yes, this year will be different than others. My celebration of Thanksgiving will be smaller, but maybe that will force me to be more grateful for the friends and family I do have. Maybe this Thanksgiving we can all help more people in quieter, more direct ways.
David Pisarra is a Los Angeles Divorce and Child Custody Lawyer specializing in Father’s and Men’s Rights with the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He can be reached at dpisarra@pisarra.com or 310/664-9969. You can follow him on Twitter @davidpisarra
