8 | NOVEMBER 26 • 2020
T
hanksgiving is going
to be very different this
year, and it’
s pretty
disappointing. There’
s a part of
my brain that makes me want
to stomp my foot like a little
kid and wail, “But I don’
t want
this.
” Meanwhile
the grown-up
part of my
brain is trying
to rationalize:
“Well, that’
s life.
Everyone’
s in the
same boat, so
suck it up and
stop crying …
and, here, have a cookie.
”
So now, the only thing that’
s
really changed is that I don’
t
fit into any of my clothes.
Unfortunately, the reality is:
This stinks! We liked the world
better before coronavirus. We
liked seeing people smile and
we liked hugging people and
eating out and not having to
be vigilant about washing our
hands. We liked going to sim-
chahs and theater and to the
gym and learning or working in
person. We miss the days when
we’
d never heard of Zoom, had
no idea what PPE stood for,
and scoffed at the very idea of
ever willingly submitting our
nostril so that someone could
try to scrape our brains through
it with a knitting needle.
But with COVID cases
on the rise, and the fear and
uncertainty of the unknown yet
again on our doorstop, it can
be easy to fall into a bottomless
pit, like the little kid who can’
t
see anything other than what
he doesn’
t have. There are still
things to be grateful for these
days, we just have to work a
little harder to find them. For
example:
• The usual: Family. Friends.
Food (especially cookies).
Online shopping. Next-day
delivery. Clothes. A roof over
our heads. Frontline workers.
Teachers. Heat. Employment.
Love. Peace. Joy. Chocolate.
Technology. And people who
won’
t judge me for not listing
them in any kind of order …
• No one really enjoys wear-
ing a mask, but it can be kind
of nice not having to worry if
your breath smells.
• There’
s something very
nurturing about getting your
temperature checked — it can
conjure warm childhood mem-
ories. So yes, it might feel super
weird that strangers at the bank
or doctor’
s offices are checking
your temp; but if you’
re allowed
to venture inside, it means
you’
ve cleared a health hurdle
… And these days that’
s noth-
ing to sneeze at.
• Have you ever stepped
inside someone’
s house and
been told, “Please excuse my
mess,
” but, as far as you can see,
it’
s perfectly tidy, kind of intim-
idatingly perfect and a far cry
from your own “lived-in” look?
Well, the good news is, thanks
to social distancing, those peo-
ple aren’
t coming over to my
place any time soon.
• Super grateful that the
elections are behind us (even
though it doesn’
t really feel that
way). I’
m grateful that all those
texts, calls and pounds of junk
mail telling me and all the pre-
vious home owners who to vote
for have stopped.
• The cold — it has some
perks. Now it’
s I-can-drink-
the-water-I-left-in-the-car-
overnight season!
• While things keep chang-
ing, and the unknown is scary
… at least we’
re still here, and at
least we’
re not turkeys!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rochel
Burstyn
Contributing
Writer
VIEWS
for openers
Feeling Grateful
During a Pandemic
YIDDISH LIMERICK
On Thanksgiving a shaynem
dahnk we’
ll say
Far alle gutte zakhn, nisht ein,
nisht tzvay.
Far shayninke kinderlakh
Far ingalakh un maydalakh
And alle gutte zakhn that come
your way.
shaynem dahnk: a nice thank
you
Far alle gutte zakhn, nisht ein,
nisht tzvay: For all good things,
not one, not two
Far shayninke kinderlakh: For
beautiful kids
Far ingalakh un maydalakh: For
little boys and girls
Alle gotte zakhn: all good things.
By Rachel Kapen
Thanksgiving