Thanksgiving up at Annapurna Base Camp

November 26, 2009: Day 20? of Circuit

I awoke nervous this morning, realizing I didn’t know what day it was and fearing that Thanksgiving had passed me by unobserved.  After asking several people, however, i finally found someone who knew what day it was. It was Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. 

I smiled when I learned this and all day long I’d keep in mind the people back home and the things that were happening there. High up in the Himalayas at Annapurna Base Camp, I will be making my own Thanksgiving celebration here for sure.  I’m the only American turkey here, and a few people have asked me what the holiday is all about, but my explanation is terrible.  I babble something about native americans and a bountiful harvest long ago, but I realize that I really don’t know what I’m talking about. 

Nonetheless, I am incredibly thankful– this year perhaps more than most. As I look outside the window where I am this evening, there is pure blue sky and 360 degrees of God’s awesome snow-capped peaks.   After three weeks of hiking I have finally arrived at the Annapurna Sanctuary, the sacred church of the Himalayas and the pinnacle of my journey. There is so much to be grateful for. Grateful for this opportunity to experience more life. To witness the Himalayas, to learn from everyone I meet, to learn different ways of thinking and seeing the world, to slow down time, to experience a sane mind, to be open to inspiration daily, to be led by God on this round-the-world itinerary, and to learn and make music with people from other traditions. I am also thankful for the many dear friends and family who have been sending love and celebrating this journey with me.  

Tonight as we all sat in the dining room talking and laughing by candlelight, we kept returning to the realization that this was Thanksgiving Dinner. For the occasion, I have ordered a decadent apple pie that lies beneath a mess of hideous looking bright yellow “custard”.