Is it just me or does Thanksgiving feel like a particularly Midwestern holiday? Maybe it's the thought of putting marshmallows on yam and cream of mushroom soup in a casserole. Those low-brow yet delicious combinations of store-bought foods feel distinctly Midwestern. It's also the thought of returning to one's hometown, where there isn't much to do besides drink beer and shovel snow.
But the most Midwestern part of Thanksgiving is the idea of being thankful. After all, Midwesterners have to constantly practice gratitude or else we wouldn't live here. When it rains, we have to be grateful that the plants are "loving this." When it snows, we have to be grateful that "Maybe the kids'll get a snow day." And when we come across yet another pothole, we have to be grateful that it gives us something to complain about. So I hope your Thanksgiving was exceptionally Midwestern this year.