The holidays are upon us, starting with one of my favorites. —
I can’t explain why I’m so fond of Thanksgiving. Well, actually, I can, but the explanation
would not necessarily put me in the most flattering light. Simply put, I’m something of a glutton. And Thanksgiving was, growing up, the one day
a year when I was guaranteed a giant helping of my Grandpa Gossiaux’s stuffing.
He’d been, during the Second World War, an army cook. He brought back
with him from his army base in the Aleutian Islands the
secret to some insanely dense, fantastically filling stuffing. I loved it so much that, on the strength of
the stuffing alone, Thanksgiving rose through the ranks to become a solid #2 in
my Holiday Countdown. Number two with a
sage-flavored bullet.
My fondness for Thanksgiving continues to this day. And, yeah, part of it is that I still
passionately love those heavy, uber-filling Thanksgiving foods. But more important is that I really do
appreciate that we have a day to set aside our gripes and complaints and focus
on all the things that are good in our lives.
I have all the usual reasons for being thankful: health, employment, pumpkin whoopie pies. But I thought
maybe I’d celebrate the day with a little public declaration of the things for
which I’m specifically thankful as a New York
parent.
I’m thankful for Central Park. There is simply no better place on the
planet. All of my son’s favorite
playgrounds are there. There are
numerous paths on which you can run with a jogging stroller. The Conservatory
Garden, the Reservoir, the Mall;
the best places to walk with your kid are all in the park. Not to mention great Frisbee throwing spots,
summer picnics, outdoor theater, etc. Truly
one of the greatest places on earth, just a few short subway stops from home.
I’m thankful for free kayaking on the Hudson
every summer. I’m a novice kayaker,
truth be told. But I’m an enthusiastic
novice and, seeing as how I don’t own my own kayak and, furthermore, it’s not
easy when you have a kid to set aside the time to go rent one, the free sit-on
kayaks that the Public Boathouse offers are fantastic. What’s even better is that the kid can go
with us. What’s better than that is that
we can bike down the west side, kayak, grab a bite and be back before nap time.
I’m thankful for the (slowly) growing number of elevators in
the subway system. They are not without
problems. In fact, the frequent service
disruptions, the sometimes mind-boggling rudeness of fellow elevatorers (to
coin a phrase) and the occasional cleanliness deficits deserve a post of their
own. But, even with all that, they
really do make it easier to get around the city with a stroller-bound toddler.
I’m thankful for the Central Park Zoo. Sure, the Bronx Zoo has a more amazing
selection of animals and the New York Aquarium gives one a deeper understanding
of ocean life, but the Central Park Zoo is RIGHT THERE! And there are penguins!
I’m thankful for slices. The kid is a notoriously picky eater. From day to day, there’s no telling how much he’s going to eat. There’s no certainty that he’ll even try
something that he seemed to like last week. The one constant in all this is that he is always, without fail, certain
to chow down on a slice of pizza. And we
just happen to live in Slicetown, U.S.A.
I’m thankful for our amazing neighbors, who were kind enough
to watch our kid last week so we could escape for some adult time at Symphony
Space. Yay, adult time!
I’m thankful for New York
in the fall. I guess this one isn’t necessarily child-related, especially given that
he’s still too young to really appreciate it, beyond his adorable amazement
that leaves turn red. But someday, no
matter where he winds up, he’s going to remember the beauty of autumnal New
York in his childhood and be glad he was here.
I am glad to be here. More than all these little things, I’m thankful for my wife and our
child and that we live in this amazing place.
Happy Thanksgiving.
P.S. My stuffing is
nowhere near as delicious as my Grandpa Gossiaux’s. But I’m working on it.
