Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Find out what I’m doing this year in this edition! You will also know about a conversation over a cake, when a teen qualifies as grown up and how to shun loneliness. Here we go…

What do you say to a family that makes you feel as if you are one of them? Just the deepest sense of gratitude, because you are too full of emotions that words cannot express. Eleanor and Frank asked me and Adrian to join them for the Thanksgiving dinner at their place. When Frank asked me if I will come, I could only manage to say, “Yes, of course! Thanks, Frank!” Adrian was extremely touched, too. Cathy, his steady partner, will be away at her parent’s place. That leaves him a lonely soul at this time of the year.

The Thanksgiving invitation isn’t really out of the blue. People who have followed my stories, know that Eleanor has made me feel part of her family on numerous occasions over the years. For people who live away from home, souls like her are a real blessing. With my folks back in Pasadena, I can only call them as my family, except of course, for my friends. I also take this opportunity to again wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! And thank you all for being part of this network!

Thanksgiving has touched someone in a very different way! Megan was out shopping for Madeira cake. She wants to make it a part of her Thanksgiving menu. When Megan was out shopping, she bumped into someone! This guy was looking for some of the ingredients to make a cake, but he had little idea about how much ingredients he needed. Megan helped him out. Megan is a sous chef, so she knows what is needed. What Megan didn’t know was why her heart was thumping like a teenager!

The conversation soon drifted out of cakes and pastries. They were talking like long-lost friends brought together by fate. The new guy on the block, sorry I don’t have the name yet, seemed to be really interested in Megan’s work. Being very passionate about work, Megan was extremely comfortable in talking about it. Finally they parted after exchanging phone numbers and assurances to keep in touch. Megan is feverishly expecting a call! Good luck, Meg!

Ethan is faced with a rather existential question: has he grown up? There are several reasons why he’s asking this to his mother, Donna. Now Donna is a hands-on mother who’s always there to guide her two children, Ethan and Emily. But being teenagers and belonging to peer groups, they don’t really want a guide for their daily lives. Of course, when there is a crisis, they will turn to Donna, this much she knows. But Donna is pretty wired up because this is an age where things can go horribly wrong. And Donna is mighty stressed.

Ethan feels that it’s time he took his own decisions. He confided to me, “You know Bob, when I want to do something, mom feels I’m not grown up enough! Yet, when I do something stupid, she tells me that I need to grow up! I’m so confused! Am I grown up?” I was way too amused at this situation! Not because of the way he put it, but I know that beneath this superficial clash of opinion, they are one happy family. And sooner than later, they will figure a way out.

The worst part about being lonely is that you begin to assume that there in no love or joy in this world. When your relationship falls apart, or you had an unfortunate tiff with a close friend, you tend to feel that nothing is ever going to work out for you. You become a cynic, you go into a sort of hibernation and deprive yourself of those very aspects that can make you feel alive again. Loneliness is not something that goes away on its own. On the contrary, it reaffirms its presence forcefully on you.

As we move towards the festive season, you have to get out of that shell! Go out and give yourself another chance. There is a lot out there that you have not explored, but written down in your diary as unimportant. Meet people, exchange ideas, share your views: these will keep you occupied. Friendship or love won’t come knocking on your door. You have to find it. Keep your mind open and interact. Immerse yourself in activity and very soon you will find life is both delightful and delectable.

Here’s a funny Thanksgiving quote by Michael Dresser: “Thanksgiving is America’s national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty.”