Giving Thanks
Crisp fall days and giving thanks on Thanksgiving
11.10.2008 - 13.10.2008
16 °C
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Hockey, The Big Easy and Giving Thanks
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After the heat and humidity of New Orleans, I returned to Toronto to a chilly but sunny autumn day. I love this time of year, the crispness in the air providing a nice counterpoint to the heat of the summer we just passed through, the smell of fires wafting out of chimneys.
I especially love the crisp fall days that are sunny, because they are excellent days to put on your shoes and go for a walk.
In Toronto, the leaves were just starting to change colours, some already on the ground, some bright colours of red, yellow and orange, and some leaves still green.
The next day, Sunday, Toronto got an "Indian summer," another sunny day but the temperature jumped up from 16 on Saturday to 27 on Sunday. Indian summer, for those that don't know, is a period of unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather during the fall.
After a quick walk in the morning, on Sunday afternoon, I went to my sister's place for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is an annual holiday held in Canada on the second Monday in October. The day is a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for the bounty we have brought in from the field. Of course, I am not a farmer, so I have no bounty from the field to be thankful for. Instead, I need to find other things to be thankful for.
As such, here are the things that I am thankful for this year.
- I am thankful to Her Majesty The Queen of England and her Government for allowing me into their country
- I am thankful for my family and friends being so supportive and understanding of my decision to move abroad
- I am thankful to job hunting during the "credit crunch" for teaching me some humility and reminding me to not be arrogant and proud
- I am thankful to Vasque for making really comfortable shoes
- I am thankful to the new friends I have made here in London, and also for the old friends I have reconnected with
- Finally, I am thankful for cold beer and chicken and dressing sandwiches
Happy belated Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends, happy upcoming Thanksgiving to my American friends, and ... well, I guess happy autumn to everyone else.
