How to Do Mostly Nothing for Twenty Years

"Comfortable misery." Oxymoron right? How is it possible to be comfortable (something most people want and strive for) yet miserable or uncomfortable (something most people try to avoid) at the same time?

"It is like old, comfortable shoes. They are not attractive, but you keep wearing them out of habit. If you bought new ones, you would have to break them in. What if they pinched? What if they hurt? What if you didn’t like them? Better to just stay with what you have. Why take a chance?"

Think about it. How many times have I been okay and familiar with surroundings or circumstances or people or habits but wasn't nearly happy about it or simply hated it? Worst part - because I was 'comfortable' with it, I was in no hurry to take the necessary steps to change something.

Why do I do this? Why do I insist on being comfortably miserable? Why am I okay with being unhappy in my own little bubble when I can enjoy life if I just step outside its walls? Why am I okay to surrender to my fears and doubts? Why do I choose to live in this cage? Why do you?

Misery loves company, yes? Who wants to be unhappy by themselves? It's much easier to be unhappy with other people who feel the same or circumstances that never change. I can be miserable and unhappy right where I am and hold on to these certain things that make me unhappy because I know they're not going anywhere anytime soon.. because I'm not about to do anything to change it. If I had to write a book about my life up to this point, my autobiography would be titled something like "How to Do Mostly Nothing for Twenty Years." A fairly accurate title unfortunately. What would the title of your autobiography be?

The few times I have been willing to burst my own bubble and step out of my comfort zone has been so worth it, every single time. I took a huge step out of my comfort-zone this summer and absolutely loved it. This fear of change, of something different and unknown (especially for us reserved, less-adventures types) holds us back and ties us down. Unhappy enough to want change, but not enough discomfort to do anything about it. That's a terrible way to live really. Yet I do it. Many of us do.

I'm not here to solve problems or deliver answers. Those don't come to me right away. Sometimes simply raising the question is enough. "Why do I do what I do?" I've put a bit of thought into these here questions. I hope you do too.

Turkey Day or Giving Thanks?

Thanksgiving has yet again come and gone. Four days ago, (as I write this) millions of families gathered together on Thursday evening to enjoy each others company (hopefully), eat too much turkey (probably) and other wonderful foods, and watch multiple football games.

I enjoy Thanksgiving; it’s one of the few times a year that my entire family gets together under one roof and the only time when it’s perfectly normal and socially acceptable to eat food like there’s no tomorrow. I love going to Grandma’s house and chilling with my extended family, it’s awesome. I’ve learned to appreciate it more in that last couple of years now that my grandparents are beginning to dwindle in health and in number, and because I get to travel home from school after being away for three months. I am very thankful for the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.

That being said, there are several things that I dislike about this particular holiday (here comes the rant). I hate how Thanksgiving is just not that memorable anymore. The day goes by very quickly, mostly because the day is spent preparing food, eating way too much, watching football and then sleeping off the inevitable food-coma that ensues. “Don’t forget to eat dinner early because Black Friday deals at Wal-Mart starts at 7pm.” Sleep in, catch the end of the Macy's parade, eat a lot, and watch TV. Thanksgivings tend to blur together for me. I couldn’t tell you what made last year’s turkey day different from this year’s (except that a certain cousin was home from Boston last year) because they’re all the same. I wish Thanksgiving was a unique event but it’s really not. The exact same thing happens every year and I find myself taking this holiday for granted.

You remember the circumstances of the original Thanksgiving right? Yeah, yeah, you say, we all learned about that in the fourth grade. Good, I’m not going to recount that history lesson again. I feel that Thanksgiving has fallen very far from what it was originally intended to be, like so many other things in this American culture. Thanksgiving today is simply another stepping stone in the calendar to get to Christmas and the official start of the holiday shopping season. Even then, Christmas shopping is starting earlier and earlier every year; stores are putting up decorations the day after Halloween and radio stations are playing Christmas music weeks before Thanksgiving in an attempt to prepare people for the holidays sooner and elongate the shopping season.

Just like every other major holiday, Thanksgiving has been commercialized so much so that it no longer carries the value that it used to. Thanksgiving is no longer about family or being together or truly being thankful for the ones we loves and the things we have. It's an excuse to watch football, over-eat, and then shop all night into the morning and the rest of the following day. I don't know what your particular family does for Thanksgiving; maybe you guys do it different. But for me and other people I know, this is most definitely the case. Thanksgiving is now acceptable gluttony (don't even get me started on the atrocities of Black Friday). I too am guilty of this sin. We all are.

"But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown."

Nothing like some Charlie Brown to remind us of the real reason for the season.