Thanksgiving Party - Here we go again...

[SelfAwareWorld]

Every year at Thanksgiving my wife and I go to a big get-together at one of her girl-friends houses and every year I dread it. The women all know each other and always have a great time. The house is filled with high-pitched chatter and laughter as they fill each other in on the latest gossip and what happened last week. They also hang out together just about every week, going shopping, eating out or going to each other's houses.

That leaves the men. Some know each other, but most don't. They look lost and uncomfortable as they wander around the house, looking at their watches, hoping that time will somehow speed up and take them home to their beloved Lazy Boys.

Luckily there is a beacon in the night, a big screen TV. It calls out to the male species saying "come ye therefore to me, for I will give you meaning and purpose in this land of woe". As I walk into the living room, I see the cavemen, gathered around a televised football game as if it were a campfire, drinking beer and speaking as little as possible. It's a pitiful scene to behold.

Now for me, there is a double dip. I don't like football. So every year I'm faced with the same dilemma, "What the heck am I going to do for the next 3 to 4 hours?". If you don't talk about football, you don't talk at all. That leaves going into the kitchen where I'm surrounded by women, which, I must say ain't so bad. BUT I just end up standing there speechless due to that fact that I have nothing of feminine interest to talk about.

That's when I realized that it's probably my attitude and predetermined dislike of situations like this that make for such a long and boring evening. I decided to just relax and listen to all the conversation going on around me. I poured myself a glass of wine, filled my party plate with goodies and took a seat at the dining room table.

Pretty soon some people came around and sat at the table with me. We started up some polite idle conversation, which, after a while, gradually turned into a very interesting exchange of personal experiences. Then I began to notice that I was starting to really enjoy myself.

Eventually we left the party, but only after the house was almost empty. My wife must have been wondering "Who is this man I'm married to?". I didn't want to leave, having been totally engaged in conversation and laughter.

For the first time ever, I told my wife "Hey, that was fun!"

[danas]

Originally Posted by SelfAwareWorld

Every year at Thanksgiving my wife and I go to a big get-together at one of her girl-friends houses and every year I dread it. The women all know each other and always have a great time. The house is filled with high-pitched chatter and laughter as they fill each other in on the latest gossip and what happened last week. They also hang out together just about every week, going shopping, eating out or going to each other's houses.

That leaves the men. Some know each other, but most don't. They look lost and uncomfortable as they wander around the house, looking at their watches, hoping that time will somehow speed up and take them home to their beloved Lazy Boys.

Luckily there is a beacon in the night, a big screen TV. It calls out to the male species saying "come ye therefore to me, for I will give you meaning and purpose in this land of woe". As I walk into the living room, I see the cavemen, gathered around a televised football game as if it were a campfire, drinking beer and speaking as little as possible. It's a pitiful scene to behold.

Now for me, there is a double dip. I don't like football. So every year I'm faced with the same dilemma, "What the heck am I going to do for the next 3 to 4 hours?". If you don't talk about football, you don't talk at all. That leaves going into the kitchen where I'm surrounded by women, which, I must say ain't so bad. BUT I just end up standing there speechless due to that fact that I have nothing of feminine interest to talk about.

That's when I realized that it's probably my attitude and predetermined dislike of situations like this that make for such a long and boring evening. I decided to just relax and listen to all the conversation going on around me. I poured myself a glass of wine, filled my party plate with goodies and took a seat at the dining room table.

Pretty soon some people came around and sat at the table with me. We started up some polite idle conversation, which, after a while, gradually turned into a very interesting exchange of personal experiences. Then I began to notice that I was starting to really enjoy myself.

Eventually we left the party, but only after the house was almost empty. My wife must have been wondering "Who is this man I'm married to?". I didn't want to leave, having been totally engaged in conversation and laughter.

For the first time ever, I told my wife "Hey, that was fun!"

Great story. Thanks for sharing

[Greek Dog]

What a great shift in perspectives.
I heard a line in a movie this holiday that is helping me make a similar shift. The character said, "I was mourning what I had lost and overlooked what I had. been given."