Hope you’re keeping well these days. Last week I spoke about appreciating your colleagues and how random acts of kindness effect us. Since Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away, I want to ask you, what are you thankful for? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines “thankful” as 1: conscious of benefit received, 2: expressive of thanks, and 3: well pleased. So what are you well pleased about? Which benefits have you received that you are conscious of? Click here to respond to me.

First thing I’m thankful for is the fact that phones work both ways! Steve did not have to call his new friend. She called him instead. I got it from Steve that her name is Natalie. Steve was undecided about calling up Natalie. Though I reasoned with him that he should, he was hesitant. He told me, “Bob, it might look bad on me. I might also look desperate.” It was difficult for me to say anything because I realized that it was a delicate matter. It was true that she might think of him that way, but then it also depended on the person that she was. She might actually be expecting him to say ‘Hello’ after all the impromptu chat they had on their first meeting.

Steve did not have to wait long. Natalie called him up, inviting him to a Thanksgiving dinner at her place. Steve got some definite brownie points when he helped her with the stroller and the dog. Natalie was very happy that Steve asked about her kid and the dog. She could talk for hours about her child, now which mother would not? Steve was just genuinely interested in the kid. He seems to be really happy about the dinner invite and is a lot less cranky. He was smiling a lot especially after her calls. I’m just glad he has other interests now besides gadgets and tech stuff. I hope things go well between him and his new friend.

Berka’s cooking established her reputation as a great cook! The wonderful pickles that she made did a world of good to her popularity as well. Adrian has been asking her again and again to make stuff for him, something that he and Cathy can have together. Berka has promised him that she’ll make him a wonderful cake on Cake Day, a cake that he can share with Cathy. Adrian thanked her profusely for the grand gesture. He was telling everyone about it, and that invited trouble from a corner that has been quiet for some time.

Megan heard that Berka is preparing a cake for Adrian. She called me. I was working late that night. I didn’t know that Adrian, in a burst of enthusiasm, told her about the promised cake as well. She said, “So Bob, new friends yeah?” I quizzed my brow. Megan seldom talks in that tone. Anyway, whom was she referring to – my new friend or Steve’s new friend? I decided to bide my time. The next instant things were clear. She said, “So where do I apply for my piece of the fabulous cake that’s being made?” I muttered some lines to explain the situation but I don’t think she heard me. She moved on to other matters.

The cake is generating trouble in the conceptual stage itself, wonder what’s going to happen when it’s made. Megan made some disastrous cakes in the past. But after her cooking lessons she’s been making ground-breaking improvements with her cakes. Despite reaping praises for her improvement, she’s still very touchy on the subject. I just pray that Adrian doesn’t praise Berka’s cake to Megan or worse still, tell her that Berka’s cake was better! Things can fly off the handle if that guy is not cautious. How do I tell him without offending him? Any ideas?

Well, the romantic couple Kate and Jeffrey are going to be having their Thanksgiving dinner with Jeffrey’s parents. Kate is somewhat nervous about it, but she feels prepared, what with Irina’s lessons and all. Rick told her, “Look, you’re going to get married to Jeffrey, not his parents. So just calm down.” It’s interesting that Rick should be telling her about it since he’s the one taking “romantic” lessons from Jeffrey. Jeffrey seems to think that it’s going to be ok.

I just hope things turn out ok with the parents. I know the engagement party didn’t really turn out right but we were there to support Kate so it was fine with her. Lately there’s been a lot of pressure on her with the wedding just months away and the whole economic situation being really tight. “It’s kinda tough planning a wedding on a shoe string budget Bob,” Kate told me, “Jeffrey doesn’t really seem to mind because he knows that his parents can afford certain things.” I think Kate is feeling a lot of pressure with the monetary situation. “Plus Jeffrey’s mom wants certain things in a certain way, ya know? There’s a lot of family tradition that she wants included in the wedding plans. It’s really important for me to respect that but some stuff may just not be practical,” she concluded. I really feel for Kate, and I want our group of friends to be there as much as possible, this is all she’s got in this big city, and since I’m from somewhere else I totally understand how she must be feeling. Especially at a time like this. I hope Kate and Jeffrey’s Thanksgiving go alright. This is the best time for them to get to know their respective future family members.

Since I went home for Mother’s Day, I’m planning to stay in town for Thanksgiving. I’m organizing a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner at my place. Adrian was totally for it since Cathy would be coming as well. That’s what I love about my friends. They are like family and they give that feeling of being at home away from home. Since Berka is baking a cake for Adrian, I’ve asked her to take care of the dessert as well. I’m looking forward to her creation. I’ve asked Megan to do the main course. She’s feeling experimental and she’s really excited that she can flex her culinary muscles. Sometimes you build families out of friends. Since all of us come from somewhere else, we’ve drawn closer to each other and bonded as a family.

Living in this big city with everything going on around us so fast, it can be a lonely life. Having friends help. No matter how fast you are living, at the end of the day you meet people like Rick, who is like that distant cousin from out of town. Or Kate, who’s like a younger sister that you want to look after. And of course the black sheep of the family, is always Kaitlin, but we love her anyway. I’m really looking forward to what everybody is going to bring. Irina and Seth are going to be there too. I don’t know what to ask of them. I’m thinking of making mashed potatoes like my mom used to make them. I don’t know what else should be on the Thanksgiving menu. I need suggestions. Click here to send me your suggestions.

This week’s Zen quote had to be one on the family. I could not trace the origin of this one, but the quote is fabulous: “Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.” I just hope that we don’t end up having fudge for dessert! Let’s sign the ending note with crossed fingers.