Thankfulness, and un-thankfulness
by Rob Tiller
We had a good Thanksgiving with some beloved family members, and I was grateful, as was appropriate. But it struck me that Thanksgiving needs a little balancing. Along with things to be thankful for, most of us have a good number of things to mourn or regret, and these too should be acknowledged. To balance our feasting, we could have an annual day of fasting, and focus a bit on the things that we’re sorry about and unhappy with. It could be therapeutic.
I got to try the fasting part this weekend in preparation for an ordinary course colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow. I normally maintain a decent level of skepticism regarding the medical-industrial complex’s expensive procedures for apparently healthy people. But I’m also fairly terrified of cancer. So I followed the dietary recommendations, including several days with no fiber and a final day with no solid food. I will spare you the details. Fun it is not.
It was mostly clear and mild this weekend, and I enjoyed doing some hiking through the woods and around the local lakes. I took these pictures with the Tiller Quadcopter and the terrestrial Nikon D7100.