It’s Thanksgiving in the United States, and everyone at The Leftscape wishes a happy holiday to all who celebrate. Robin Renée, Wendy Sheridan, and Mary McGinley have things to be thankful for, though they are also well aware that the holidays can be fraught with inconvenient backstories and obligation. Wendy and Mary are tired of Thanksgiving as a day that demands large amounts of cooking and/or forced gratefulness. All take a moment to acknowledge that for many Native Americans it is a National Day of Mourning. Robin recalls painful holiday seasons past and talks about how a daily practice of mindfulness can help generate genuine gratitude apart from an expected ritual on any one day.
Some of the 2018 midterm election results that are still rolling in on the blue wave are reasons to be thankful. They celebrate wins my Ruth Buffalo, Democratic member-elect for the North Dakota House of Representatives, Andy Kim in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, and Kyrsten Sinema who won an Arizona Senate seat. Great admiration is also in order for Stacey Abrams. Though she will not be the next governor of Georgia, she continues to fight for fair voting for all citizens. The Leftscape bids farewell and “Excelsior!” to Stan Lee who passed away at the age of 95. Also in the news, Indivisible has released a new guide to activism that addresses what we can do now that the House of Representatives will have a Democratic majority.
The usual list of weird holidays coincides fairly well with Thanksgiving as there are an abundance of foods being celebrated in November including banana pudding, pomegranates, sweet potato, stuffing, cookies, and “fun with fondue.” It’s also Jukebox Day, Red Mitten Day, and Tie One On Day (Make sure you have a designated driver!). Birthday shout outs go to René Magritte, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Harold Ramis, Bjork, Dr. John, Goldie Hawn, Nicollete Sheridan, Alexander Siddig, and Brian Ritchie of Violent Femmes. In the “Why is this Awesome?” segment, Mary celebrates The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Visit The Leftscape website to find out about Wendy’s book, Harlequin and Other Fantasies: Meditative Coloring Book for Grown-Ups and a new benefit CD compilation, Holiday 2018 – 14 tracks by LGBT artists including Robin’s “Hare Krishna Christmas.”
The Leftscape – the shape of progressive conversation: “Get Off My Lawn, Thanksgiving! (Episode 25).”
