Thanks-taking

So this is my first year doing the whole “it’s complicated” national family holiday based on a f’ed up history thing by myself...and it’s actually...not so bad. Woke up, worked out, self cared, ate some Thanksgivingy stuff, put on my favorite at-home tatty shirt, worked on my show, planned business stuff to make the world a better place. Talked to some exes. Cuz we’re cool like that. No regression. Planned a date with my love, who’s across seas. And, outside of just needing some general outside air oxygen, I feel pretty good, you know.

It also made me realize that I know nO First Nation people personally outside of the mixed cutie from my elementary school days who everybody had a lowkey crush on ... like I feel like I do, cuz of Tribe Called Red and the American Indian Museum, and being a real-and-not-colonizer history teacher... but the fact is, I don’t.

One of my favorite books of all time is “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Maybe that’s also why I feel like I do. I supported. I bought hella Sherman Alexie’s books for my students. But that’s about it.

Well, ok, that sh*t gotta change.

Ok, so what is this day like on the Rez? I’m about to Google this right now, matta fac. Ok, watching Rizza Islam on it now. Needed that. Get some sense talked into me.

I told my Pre-K students the other day to enjoy the time with their fam, and honor the Ancestors of this land that this day is founded on. That’s something, right? Wow, did I never say that before? That’s crazy.

Ok, so Rizza just said “It wouldn’t be so cool if people celebrated love on the day slavery began” - which is hecccka true.

But, what do you do when that’s the only allotted mini-vacay time for all the myriad people in your family to take time off from work? You know how hard it is to coordinate fam time...Sheesh.

Ok, gang huddle. What’s the solution? Can we round-table about this? In the meantime, is a quarantined Thankstaking like our forced revolution from a forced f’ed up reason for a holiday? Also, slight digression but not, have you seen what a turkey looks like in real life? They’re pretty dam majestic: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CID-10FB0jz/?igshid=cadokys9yvz8

Anyways, what do you do to make it make sense? I’m open to dialogue in the comments... otherwise, I’ll be over here YouTubing endless First Nation conferences and make use of this quarantined uncomfortably-originned holiday thing. I’m glad I worked out though. I also had a salad and smoothie. So that’s also different for this day. Anyways ... thanks for listening, Diary-that-everyone-sees #makeitmakesense

Yours Truly,

@thisbrowngyal

#how2bebrownlikeme