Ann mentioned an idea to me a couple of days ago that has become more appealing to me as I mull it over. Instead of feasting for Thanksgiving, why not try fasting? We consume all the time. Is consuming more really a good way to give thanks? Going without seems like a better way of appreciating what we usually have. I don’t want to forgo the spirit of celebration either, though, so I propose a beverage-only day. We start with our usual creamy coffee. We make a trip to the store for some final supplies. I feel like a ghost there, like I am not of the world of food today, and this vast array of products are not for me. The absence of breakfast enhances the effect.

Disregarding the cold, snowy weather, we pack up the truck to go to Shelf Road, figuring we’ll hike if the weather is too cold for climbing. On the road we have egg nog lattés for lunch – hardly suffering! I still notice the space that I usually fill with food, though. How lucky am I to have lunch every day?

We find that Shelf is indeed cold, but not as snowy as we feared. We hike a couple of miles up The Bank canyon, which helps to make our final phantom meal the most intense, and the most satisfying. We drink Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout. The empty feeling in my belly, the beer, our warm camper, and the endorphins from the hike combine into a feeling of blissful thanks. I don’t remember ever feeling more genuinely thankful for my life on this day.