Welcome to another entry in my Grateful Heart Monday series, where gratitude is always the only focus of my writing, which for today is for the meal my partner Chris prepared this year for a few friends and I on Thanksgiving Day and the day trip we took together the next day for my first visit ever to the Columbus Zoo.
While my entry two days ago talked much about the sadness I felt during Thanksgiving weekend, I wanted to shift the focus today onto what gratitude I had during the same holiday weekend. Ironically, Chris and I weren’t even originally meant to be home for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We had reservations at a bed and breakfast on the coast of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, COVID thwarted that, which left us home for the holiday. But, instead of choosing to dine out locally as an alternative, we opted to have a hearty Thanksgiving meal in the cozy confines of our home instead.
Chris is a wonderful cook I must say. He truly has the patience and joy for it, while I, on the other hand, most certainly don’t. Which is precisely why I was filled with plenty of gratitude for the bountiful traditional Thanksgiving feast he prepared for the two of us and the two of our friends on Thanksgiving Day. His delicious meal ultimately reminded me of the ones my Grandmother prepared at her home for our family during my childhood. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that the 14lb turkey Chris cooked was perfectly prepared! Add in the homemade mac and cheese and deviled eggs that our friend Manny brought for the feast and the homemade pumpkin pie that our friend Frank brought to finish things off, I couldn’t be more grateful for the abundance of great food that day. And there was even a bonus piece of gratitude with the meal when our friend Denise stopped over later that night and brought us an incredibly tasty chocolate pie to enjoy, along with the pecan pie we had purchased at a local bakery.
As for the day after Thanksgiving, typically I hit a movie or two in the theater, dine out at some restaurant, and maybe even do a little shopping if motivated enough to catch one of those big sales. This year due to COVID, we decided to try something entirely different by taking a road trip from Toledo to the Columbus Zoo. Chris had never been there before, which was surprising to hear given he’s lived in Ohio his entire life. I had never been there either, so it was something new for the both of us. I was most definitely concerned though about both of our health issues, as lately our physical pain levels seem to be matching each other’s. He presently has been dealing with bone spurs in his lower back, which are going to be operated on in January, which is why he decided to get a motorized wheelchair once we arrived at the zoo. I, on the other hand, motivated myself to walk the entire zoo on foot. For as difficult as that was, I was grateful I did it, as it helped to elevate my spirit from what it had been that morning. Truth be told, I had almost let my pain fully govern my actions that morning by not going anywhere. Thus, I’m glad I didn’t listen to it because at the zoo, I saw many things I’d never seen before with the coolest one being a large tiger talking to Chris each time his motorized cart made this high pitch noise as he moved it backward. It was rather comical to witness. The second coolest thing I saw was a parent polar bear and its offspring playing quite roughly together. When the parent stood fully up on its legs, it was an amazing spectacle! And while our visit to the zoo wasn’t specifically to see the animals themselves, I enjoyed all of the species I saw. The true purpose our visit though was more so to see the holiday lights, which didn’t disappoint. Near the center of the zoo, there was a non-stop show of dazzling lights and music held around a large pond. It was probably the best lightshow I’ve ever seen since my days of visiting New York City and catching the lights on the side of Saks 5th Avenue!
So, for as much as I’ve been struggling with sadness during this normally meant to be festive season, there was some gratitude within it as well. I’m truly grateful to my partner for his Thanksgiving meal this year and for our trip to the Columbus Zoo, as both helped to boost my mood, enough so to dedicate today’s Grateful Heart Monday to them both.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
