THANKSGIVING MEAL 2024
Dreaming the night before seemed to foreshadow the next day, that is in the dream I was in the backseat of a moving car with family and we needed to turn back to get forgotten food. Should have listened because although next day in real time, in non-dream time going over the river and driving warily through the woods in a semi dangerous snowstorm to our destination was fraught with slippery road travel concern but felt Christmassy and festive, the real meat of the story began when we reached the ancient Alps-like mountain”manor.” That was where we were to Celebrate Thanksgiving. Okay so far so good, the outside of the large building looked inviting enough but golly gee the real fun began when we opened the door! Was it the musty carpet? Sensitive to smell, the combo of musty Carpet and ancient furniture and BURNT FOOD set the scene for a no-win experience! Suffice it to say it warranted to not be an opportunity to relax with family in a comforting, nurturing home away from home but was more like entering a desolate/dangerous/ movie set from the 40’s. OK hold on Linda, and wait a little before quick judgments completely suppress your holiday spirit! But no, it got worse! The “ door greeter” in her late 70’s seemed miffed to see me or was it us? Is it my deep and deeper wrinkled 82 year old face that frightened her out of good cheer? Or is this comment about her and about ME my chance to practice ageism, sexism and mean spiritedness! Calm down. It’s just that I didn’t feel welcomed or welcome! Then sin number three, the room that smelled like burnt food was cold as hell frozen over and even though the man from another table asked if they could turn the heat on, it never happened! I kept hearing the words in my fertile subconscious : “NURSING HOME, JAIL, NURSING HOME. Linda this is a rehearsal for a NURSING HOME FROM HELL!” OK, OK let’s give this shit show a chance? The beer was really drinkable and granted a modicum of mercy and forgiveness , so it seemed like this RAY OF HOPE made it safe for us to metaphorically bundle up so as to be warm enough to face the gauntlet of metal trays offering burnt food. Three or four larger than life unhappy women servers in their 30’s offered no social prompts for us to celebrate life or the holiday with them. Dear Heaven I couldn’t even feign hunger or desire .And I’m a performance artist! Their message was, this is not about joy! Just eat the stuff and pack on the pounds like us. They were truly unenthusiastic about their vocation as FOOD CHEERLEADERS and for good reason: their daily scenario when the manor was open for customers was: the musty room, the burnt food ,being uninspired by the matron greeter( probably owner)and their job of filling up the trays with more “awful” after guests slinked back to their tables having not suddenly lost their appetites! But STOP! Linda, TALK WITH THEM ! Dissolve the wall! Do Tonglen! Find: where is the miracle here? The deus ex machina?THE FORGIVENESS? Where is THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST? The gratitude? It’s Thanksgiving! OK let’s try this? The planet still turns on it’s axis and we don’t fall off! Water stays in swimming pools! Members of our families have survived the unsurvivable! And here we are!!! Hip Hip Hooray! And we ( I am) are walking new testaments reflecting back to our wacky, scary, dangerous, gut wrenching, fear-making world what it looks like to survive the same unsurvivable! Bring on the BURNED MASHED POTATOES!!!
Linda Mary Montano. Saugerties NY. 2024
