It has been over a year now since my cousin lost his battle with brain cancer, but there are still so many moments that recall him to my mind, and Thanksgiving is definitely one of them. He had some great advice for getting yourself ready for the big meal that has served me well all of these years, and today I want to share it with you.
My intuition, prior to discussions with my cousin, was to do a bit of a fast, really empty out my system in preparation for filling it back up with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and, ah, who am I kidding. Mostly stuffing. Anyway, the point is, my plan was to not eat. Small or no breakfast. No snacks. Full commitment to eating only feast that day. My cousin convinced me that I was completely wrong.
“Eat as much as possible!” he said. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, he advised, you should stretch your stomach to its breaking point, thus creating a super-stomach, so large, so vast that it could handle an entire turkey if need be. By refusing to gorge myself ahead of time, I was shrinking my stomach and reducing my capacity for gluttony! Catastrophe!
So take the advice of my cousin, who I know is getting ready and pre-gaming for a heavenly banquet as we speak, and stuff yourself silly today. Eat as much as you can. Do a few gut stretches with aid of some pie. Get yourself ready. Because tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And you need to eat.