Thanksgiving weekend! Black Friday and the newly created Orange Saturday! It’s like working our way through the NFL, NBA and college hoops playoffs—March Madness Baby where 7,000 unheard of schools take on the masters of the court with extremely high hopes of making it the Final Four or in the case 2010.
Over the next 96 hours we’ll hopscotch, hippity dippity doop due our way through family members and friends trying to score just enough points to win nothing more than a reason to sit at the adult table. As much as we’d rather be honed in on the hottest, coolest and latest jokes cruising through American Culture, the turkey always seems fresher up in the land of graying hair and constant complaints about bosses and jobs.
Unlike the world of sports and their whirlwind playoffs, what you do this weekend probably won’t damage the final outcome of the daily delivery of everyday living. Sisters will battle brothers, too much alcohol will flow from the bottle to your lips, popcorn balls will end up on the floor causing the dogs to choke and choke but it’s a lot better than the silent things they do that make human eyes roll.
Halloween is the open door to winter like Memorial Day prepares us for summer. Those buckets of candy serve a great purpose, each chunk of chocolate gets the body physically ready for an overload of sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apple pie, turkey with cranberry sauce and all those over saturated hugs and kisses from nearly everyone you meet that blurt out, “Happy Holidays!”
It’s too easy to write, “Please be on your best behavior.” Blah blah boring!
For some, we wait an entire 52 weeks to meet up with members of the family who’s noses this time last year were hoisted so high the Queen of England Facebooked them with a message, “And you thought I had an ego?”
But it’s a different America! The corporate pyramid has shifted, those who once stood high atop rocks that don't flop stand in lines hoping their business connections keep their skills afloat or they’ll be forced to learn a new trade. We’ve shaked, rattled and rolled, weebled, wobbled and fought to get back up. In the words of the great musical God’s Bon Jovi, “We’ve been livin on a prayer!” And if that’s not enough to ignite your shorts to continue pushing forward another great musical disciple Steve Perry from Journey is always willing to sing, “Don’t stop believing!”
Yes! It’s a four day weekend…….for some. Like all other things in life Monday will soon come around and no matter how bad, good or so so the moments unveiled during this short time span went…everyone of us will wake up early Monday morning and right off the bat we’ll head straight for the bathroom.
A single strand of commonality.
You can drive any car, live in any house, shop at every mall with the biggest, best and worst sales but nothing ties us closer together than an everyday occurrence. Not everyone uses a computer, not everyone buys bubble gum on Tuesdays or parties late into the night on Wednesday’s and Thursdays. Not everyone loves movies and surely not everyone believes in Santa Claus but every human on the face of this beautifully designed planet uses the bathroom.
And that is a commonality that is fully capable of inspiring every reason why you should love and respect even those you don’t love and respect.
Go get em America! Get into this Thanksgiving weekend and do your best to be only the best you can be. If you’re into faking the smile do it with pride. If Mama has you tied up with too much to do then lay your hands on her shoulders and hug her cuz one day the only thing you’ll have is a memory stuffed away in a part of the brain quickly fading.
Stand up at the dinner table this weekend and make your face known. Let the kids table have their fun like college fans in the stands. Be you! Pick a fight with the siblings and make sure its worth remembering or you’ll spend the next 52 weeks worried that something is keeping them from being them. When the parental figures scream out, “Why can’t we get along?” Let them know that life is far better when you aren’t walking through its chapters numb.
Be thankful! Be energized! Be all you are and can be! Be late for dinner! Nothing toasts your mom’s bread more than you walking in after grace has been shared. Look at her in the eyes and calmly reply, “I love you more than anything in the universe.”
Expect to be grounded for a week with no cell phone and friends. The only thing required...please flush and put down the seat!
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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