Give Thanks....

Today our American cousins celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Being the naturally skeptical person that I am, I would normally be the first in line to poke the ritual with a stick.
However, on more than one occasion since moving to the UK, I have found myself in the company of friends. A group of self-made ex-pats with much to give thanks about. There was a time in a flat in London when we were all in a kitchen quaffing champagne - and we toasted the moment; let us celebrate the fact that we are all here drinking champagne and how lucky we are. Realise that 'but for the grace of God go I' and there is not as much difference between the person in the high-rise office and the homeless person on the street, as you might think.
This kicked off a tradition amongst some of us and the next year we went to the Mayflower pub on the banks of the Thames, at the place where the famous shipped tied up in London before heading to Plymouth and onto the New World - once again that year, we had much to give thanks for.
And then there was hosting an American work colleague and his visiting sister and brother-in-law for Thanksgiving. It didn't help that we started drinking at lunchtime, but we ended up having a hilarious Thanksgiving curry and enjoyed the Bon Hommie, ending up semi naked in our front room at 3am teaching an American how to do the Haka!

One thing I really enjoy doing is pouring water on those boastful conversations. The other day someone was recounting to a group of us stories about their boat (we're talking a 'big' boat) and how the couple on the neighboring berth owned some big company blah blah blah. When a break in the conversation came I jumped in "we were talking the other day about the time when you were the most down on your luck, when you were close to the bone financially - what are people's stories?" Even the big rich guy had a story of his university days, thrashing around in the bottom of a clapped out Robin Reliant looking for loose change to go into the supermarket to buy food. I found these conversations far more meaningful than the "guess where we're going for our holidays next year" emphatic communion people usually indulge in. It made people appreciate what they had and to be thankful for those things and not vulgar.

So to anyone anywhere with a drink in their hand, raise it high and give thanks.