Hold Onto Your Traditions....Loosely
All week, I've been excited to watch Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, the best Thanksgiving movie ever created. Watching it on Thanksgiving night is one of my favorite traditions! As such, I became progressively more excited as Thanksgiving night neared. But then, in a sick twist, my sister-in-law disgustingly suggested we watch a different movie. But never fear, Travis, it's "kinda like Planes, Trains, & Automobiles." It wasn't. Not even close. With the snap of her fingers, my dream died. If you've never seen the greatest Thanksgiving movie ever created, here's a little taste of what you (and now I) missed.
Needless to say, I was bummed. After all, it's a tradition! Despite having my little dream crushed, it was a great Thanksgiving day. Lots of food (thanks to my sister-in-law’s ridiculous abilities), lots of backyard football (with limited injuries), lots of live sports on TV (go Cyclones!), and lots of fun. But no John Candy causing mass chaos while simultaneously melting our hearts.
Traditions add a richness to our life. They take otherwise regular days and events, and turn them into something special. I'm a tradition guy. Sometimes, after doing something just once, I'll declare it a tradition. Whoa, this pizza place is great! It's our new family tradition to come here!
But just as important as traditions are, we can't rigidly live our lives in a way that we're enslaved to them. Our traditions serve us, not the other way around. Sometimes, we need to be flexible with our traditions. Other times, we need to let an old tradition fade away. When we do, it doesn't demean the tradition. It doesn't cheapen what the tradition means (or meant) to us.
This was a hard lesson for me. I found myself mourning the loss of some traditions, and the whiffing of others. It turned something that was supposed to add richness to my life, and morphed it into a negative.
Yeah, I'm bummed we missed out on one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions last night, but it didn't hinder my day. I cherish this tradition, but I also hold it loosely. You best believe I'll be excited to try again next year, though! In the meantime, our family may have a few new traditions to add to the mix.
Enjoy those traditions, but hold onto them loosely.