Why do so many people express their thankfulness by overeating?

In response to last week’s question, “Why do so many people express their thankfulness by overeating?”, my fellow Storer Cable alum Buck explained, “I overeat to show my thanksgiving because my mom guilted me that there are children starving in China.”  My dad’s beach buddy Bob shared, “According to the good book, "waste not, want not" and it also allows you to put something on your ribs for a rainy day.”

My colleague Kosol replied, “I must be thankful everyday then because I overeat every day. LOL.  We overeat because we celebrate abundance.  We usually eat according to our pockets and since we visit family and eat their food nothing really comes out of our pockets.  So there's an abundance of food.

My neighbor Dick observed, “Turkeys and People .........one good stuffing deserves another!”

My friend Royce suspiciously wrote, “They are probably stockholders in Weight Watchers or Nutri Systems.”

My cycling friend Ted explained, “Expressing thankfulness is one of many things I do by overeating. Expressing guilt is another thing I do by overeating. Then I go back to being thankful when the scale is relatively kind.”

My cable marketing friend Megan shared a Thanksgiving thought.  “For so many of us food and love go hand-in-hand.  We learned to cook standing in chairs next to our grandmothers, absorbing recipes that were often never written down that we will in turn pass to future generations.  We feel how special we are to our mothers, grandmothers and aunts when we see and smell our favorite foods, even when it means that there are 3 kinds of potatoes as a part of the meal just to make sure that everyone has their favorites.  It’s about the memories that are stirred by each smell and taste.  It’s about TRADITION!”   (Amen.)

“Oh yeah,” Megan added, “remember that whole thing about the Indians bringing food and sharing a feast with the Pilgrims to keep them from starving to death!?!?”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Is shopping a sport or a game ?

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been yet the youngest you’ll ever be.  Enjoy this day while it lasts and remember to smile.

If you're a size 0, do you exist?

In response to week’s question, “If you're a size 0, do you exist?", my sailing and writing friend Rich observed, “Only in her imagination.”

My friend Richard shared, “Donuts represent themselves as a “0, and they most certainly exist …. But not for long!”  My college roomie John countered, “You do not exist if you are size 0; but size 0 is only temporary, so at some point you will exist.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob responded, “Position....Birth Canal....moving into position....soon to be a plus something.”

My birthday bud Jon shared, “Unfortunately, you would be a role ‘model.’ ”   And my friend Royce wrote, “ Sounds like a Jean Paul Sartre existentialist theory to moi.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Why do so many people express their thankfulness by overeating?

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been yet the youngest you’ll ever be.  Enjoy this day while it lasts and remember to smile.

Hal

I’m thankful for my wife, family, my paid job, my volunteer roles and my friends  -- the friends I know and the friends I’ve not yet met.  Wish you a joyous and warm Thanksgiving.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

In response to last week’s question, “If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? ”, my friend Richard concluded, “because truly “plastic people” only have friends who are also plastic.  You have to have money to attract truly plastic people, and they don’t grow on trees, you know … Although it is easy to see how you could think they do from watching “reality shows” on TV.  To this my friend Tracey, whose son did a great performance in a local production of Rent,  expanded, “Think Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie or any of the Kardashians.” My sailing friend Kurt agreed, adding, “but who really wants to be their friends?”

My birthday bud Jon replied, “That's a tough one, well beyond my Ken.”  But my friend Royce found an answer, “Sounds like Barbie got elected to Congress.”

My sailing friend Mike observed, “Heck you have to BUY Barbie herself.  Does that make her a hooker….or is she too high-classed for that (an escort!)?   My dad used to tease me that women were like boats.  It wasn’t the cost of the hull that’d break the bank, it was the cost of the rigging!”  My cycling friend Ted agreed, “We all know that Barbie's real profession is a rather old one, and as they say--birds of a feather flock together!”

My cable marketing friend Patrick shared, “She’s obviously in a sorority.”  My sailing and writing friend Rich concluded, “because she has such a plastic personality.”  My friend Swany thought it was “to pay for all the 'plastic' surgery.”  My comedic friend Bruce explained, “it’s because Mattel didn’t make play money for her to buy them herself.”  Keeping up to date with current trends, my dad’s beach buddy Bob knew it was “because Ken is finally fed up with the tattoos.”

Then my TKE friend Alan countered that “somebody has to idolize her otherwise she wouldn’t know she’s so popular.”

My social-business co-chair Andy “blamed Facebook for devaluing the interpersonal relationship.  (See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058281/So-Facebook-Most-people-TWO-close-friends.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)    Now I'm off to buy followers on twitter.  :)   ”  

And then my neighbor Al put all of this into perspective, writing, “In one way or another we all buy our friends.  A true friend is a great investment of time, love, honesty, and respect.  An acquaintance is the new investment which has not yet reached as high of a rate of return.  ( And sadly we all have a few junk bonds in our portfolio.)”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

If you're a size 0, do you exist?"  (from my friend and former colleague Kerstin)

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been yet the youngest you’ll ever be.  Enjoy this day while it lasts and remember to smile.

Hal

If you’re in ATL on Thu evening, join us for a inspiring, uplifting and humorous community event.  For info, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ecumenical-Thanksgiving-Service/119602054760740