I feel pressure right now to post the perfect quote about gratitude,

about gathering,

about saying thanks,

about ways we can make this Thanksgiving THE BEST THANKSGIVING EVER!

However, this makes me want to fall to the floor and never get up.

Our consumer-driven economic machine force feeds us images of the perfect holiday 24/7. Too many of us swallow this always-elusive idea hook, line and sinker.

Which makes me - tell me its not just me - unhappy with my average, exhausting, not-made-for-a-magazine-cover Thanksgiving.

This year, I am going for good enough.

Good enough preparation. Good enough side dishes. Good enough smiling and acting charming. Good enough wine selections. Good enough lying on the couch watching football with one eye closed.

Even good enough gratitude.

Instead of aiming for GRATITUDE and feeling bad if I don't quite get there, I am going small this year.

Thanks for these elastic waist pants.

Thanks for these crispy onions in a bag that I can drop right on top of some regular ol' canned green beans and gray mushroom soup and make everyone happy.

Thanks for my weird and wacky family.

Thanks for my pet sitter.

Thanks for the nice lady at the toll booth on I-90.

Thanks that my knees and back only hurt a little.

Thanks for Alka-Seltzer and Advil.

Thanks for this funny squirrel, that same old joke, the card game we always play, the very concept of a bagel, for tears and swears and political discussions that go sideways.

Thanks for this breath in my lungs.

And this breath.

And this one.

Thanks that, however my life is right now, I still get to live it.

Let's drop the gratitude bar down quite a few notches, friends.

I think we'll all be happier.

And that's something about which we can be truly grateful.