Thanksgiving's downtime stuffs turkey, gratefulness into one day

Inactivity is a strange phenomenon.

It’s interesting what charges through one’s mind when nothing’s on it.

Everyone has those moments of mental pit stops. Some of my best ideas come while taking a shower, climbing into bed, taking a walk or driving to the store.

Those times also cause creative cursing because those great revelations come when there's no paper or pens around.

Then, they’re usually lost when the real world comes rushing back.

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Last Thursday was one of those days for me … and fittingly, it came on Thanksgiving.

It was the first day in a while that I didn’t have some kind of deadline to meet.

I’m sure most everyone knows what it’s like … sitting on the couch after eating turkey, in sort of a daze, while watching some team turn the Lions into an endangered species again.

That’s a great 24-hour vacation.

But somewhere along the way, you realize it’s Thanksgiving. The three NFL games on a Thursday give that away.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be about giving thanks. Thanks is just another word for gratitude and appreciation during the momentary mental inventory.

Sometimes, we forget how to give thanks, though.

I had to look up the instructions. I came away with these excerpts from “Why Is Thanksgiving Important?” written by Diana Raab, Ph.D., an award-winning author/poet/blogger/speaker on thriveglobal.com.

“Thanksgiving is important because it’s a positive and secular holiday where we celebrate gratitude, something that we don’t do enough of these days. …

“… Thanksgiving reflects a sense of interconnectedness among people and cultures. In these trying times, I think we need this day more than ever. It’s a holiday that’s perfect for gathering with loved ones and expressing gratitude for our blessings.

“Thanksgiving is a holiday that reminds me that there’s more to be thankful for than sad about.”

I, like most, have things I take for granted.

I still have family, even though it is on the distant side these days, back in Ohio.

And I’m fortunate enough to have a family — my significant other and her folks — who have welcomed me in their midst and fill my void very well.

I have friends and acquaintances who like (or put up with) me, along with a job and decent health. Many of the first group have had a bearing on the second group.

Those are the heavy hitters in my lineup.

But then, the thoughts went a step further.

There were other things that are easily taken for granted for my livelihood. That could be said for the majority of people.

• Let’s start with being thankful that this isn’t still 2020.

• Be thankful that there were high school sports this year, instead of the locked-down locker rooms of last fall. To be honest, another year off would make a shambles of high school sports.

• Be grateful that our schools played full seasons, with real crowds in the stands. It even included playoffs and state championships.

• Thanks should go out to all the folks who made sure it all happened.

While everyone tried to get back to normal, there were a number of people charged with monitoring COVID protocols, which were pushed into the background as everyone’s masks went half-mast.

There were some incidents — which were artfully dodged, allowing most every show to go on with minimal hitches. COVID was still around this season, but playing through it was like the secret to making good sausage.

No one wants to know what goes into it.

• Whether you like it or not, a large measure of thanks should go to all the coaches and officials who worked to get the teams on the field and prepared for games.

Complaining how coaches run and manage their teams is in vogue. The subjects range from equal playing time, instructional tactics and play-calling. And that’s before counting wins and losses.

Coaches need to be disciplinarians. In some cases, they are the only one of those in a young athlete’s life. They need to be firm and demanding to grab attention and focus to get a bunch of teenagers to work cohesively.

It’s an introduction to the real world because college coaches, military leaders and office bosses are usually more demanding and pointed in their comments and criticisms.

Meanwhile, there’s also much ado about how officials officiate games, apply the rules and make decisions to keep games on track.

Officials are perceived to be biased by both sides and accused of cheating. While they may seem overbearing, officials rarely factor into which team wins and losses.

So why should they be thanked?

Take a look around. They are an endangered species.

Fewer folks want to coach anymore, and even fewer attempt to officiate.

Coaches get run off by all the extra work and stipulations they need to fulfill besides teaching the game.

Officials — the thankless job that it is — are getting older and retiring. A next generation of stripe-wearers isn’t waiting in the wings, either.

No one wants the job. It’s easier to have all the answers in the stands.

Sometime in the future, it’s entirely possible high school sports could be eliminated without new people in those two key jobs.

Believe it. And don’t say it will never happen. We never thought a virus could be serious enough to change the course of a nation — and for that matter, the entire world — either.

Let’s face it. Things are drastically changing before our eyes. There’s been so many changes in rules, habits, policies, beliefs and attitudes in the last 18 months, and it’s only the start.

There will always be a time when these days will be remembered fondly, no matter what transpired. These events are usually called the best times of their lives.

Even if they only pop up during the inactive time between stuffing and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Parasiliti: Strong reasons to give thanks for 2021 sports seasons