2012-11-16 – I’m on vacation. I should be thankful. I’m off of work until the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For the last several years I’ve taken five days around Thanksgiving because I’ve worked with hardly a break the whole year and now, with year-end approaching, I’m in danger of losing the vacation days I’ve earned – unless I take some time.

I say I should be thankful, but I won’t be today. We have a day for that: Thanksgiving. Why should I be thankful if it’s not Thanksgiving?

Many of the world’s religions have periods before key holidays during which adherents prepare. Jews have the entire month of Elul to get into an appropriately guilty frame of mind so they can repent their sins during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Christians have Lent, a period of fasting before Easter, and Advent, a period of anticipation before Christmas. Muslims have the month of Ramadan.

But there is nothing leading up to Thanksgiving. From this fact, we learn that thankfulness should be confined to one day a year.

You won’t catch me being grateful. Not today.

Today I’m going to whine and grumble.

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