A Time to be Thankful and New Traditions

As we all know, Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. I love that it’s a holiday that makes you sit and think about what you are thankful for. I love that it has nothing to do with gifts. I love that there are football games on to watch with my dad and brother. I love that there is a parade. I love that it’s a holiday all about family and maybe great friends, if you are lucky enough to celebrate with both. Traditionally, I go home, to my childhood home, on Wednesday night, and spend time with my family. On Thanksgiving morning, I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in my parent’s family room while drinking coffee, in my pajamas, of course. Once the parade is over, I start cooking. It’s been this way for many years.

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The past 3 years have brought about some changes to my traditional Thanksgiving. I have not cooked and hosted Thanksgiving in my parent’s house, yet I still find myself watching the parade in my pajamas, with a warm cup of coffee, on Thanksgiving morning.

This year brings even more changes and will leave me in NYC Wednesday night and on Thanksgiving morning. Initially, I was overwhelmed and saddened by this change. Each year, with the new changes, I found my Thanksgiving traditions escaping me more and more. Each year I do my best to embrace the changes, remembering that I still have SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR. Like this little 92 and 1/2 year old cutie, who will host Thanksgiving this year in her apartment in the Bronx.

She’s 4’9″ TOPS! How cute is she? Oh, and sorry for cropping you out Dad.

This year, I’ll admit I found it hard to fight back the tears and come to this decision, I am again going to do my best to embrace the changes and start some new traditions. To begin with, I am going with one of my closest friends and her family to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons be inflated along Central Park West. This is something I’ve actually always wanted to do, but as you know, I’m never in NYC on Thanksgiving Eve.

I really wanted to do the local Turkey Trot, by my parent’s house, this year. It was the first year I wanted to change tradition and try something new. After I found out I would wake up in NYC on Thanksgiving, I started looking for Turkey Trots here. The only one I came across was in Prospect Park. Not the easiest place to get to from where I live in Manhattan. I wavered back and forth over whether or not to sign up for the Turkey Trot in Prospect Park, and when I finally decided I would make the trek out to Brooklyn, it was SOLD OUT!

I thought to myself, now what? Yes, I could just go out and run 5 miles in Central Park as I do many mornings each week. But I wanted this to be different. Like I said, I wanted to start new traditions. I decided I would create my OWN Turkey Trot in Central Park. Through social media, I found out that Jen would also be in NYC on Thanksgiving morning and she wanted to join me. Slowly, I also found out that Ashley and Stephanie would be here and wanted to join as well. So, I decided to create my own, OFFICIAL, Inaugural Central Park 5K Turkey Trot.

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All are welcome to join! The more the merrier. Like I said, I am trying to start new traditions this year and could NOT be happier to have friends to join me!

WHAT: RxBethOnTheRun’s Inaugural Central Park 5K Turkey Trot
WHEN: Thursday, November 22, 2012
WHERE: Central Park
TIME: 8AM
DETAILS: Meet at the 72^nd Street entrance to Central Park on the East Side at 5^th Avenue.

Please feel free to join for any, or all, of the run! Jen has generously offered to make it even more fun and make “medals” for everyone participating. Please let me know via email or through social media if you will be joining us by 5PM tomorrow (Wednesday) if you want a medal. If you don’t care about the medal, feel free to just show up and join us on Thanksgiving morning.

Final Note: This is a FUN RUN! Ashley and Stephanie just KILLED IT at the Philly Marathon and Half Marathon, respectively, both coming home with shiny, new PRs. Go over and congratulate them on a job well done! So while they recover, I have a chance to keep up!

I hope to see some old friends, and new, on Thursday morning and create some new traditions this year. Who knows? Maybe this will become an annual event.

Tell Me.

What are your favorites Thanksgiving Day traditions?

Are you doing a Turkey Trot this year?

How have you dealt with changes that were upsetting at first?

Tell me something YOU are thankful for this year!