Sidebar: Here’s a song to go with the post, click here.

Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Turkey day. Eating day. Fat-pants day. Pre-Black-Friday Day. Whatever you want to call it, the Wednesday through Sunday festivities that includes eating, shopping (for some of us), adventuring, drinking, reminiscing, family time, and everything in between- this is the reason why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

But this past (and continuing) Thanksgiving holiday is one for the books. A day filled with cycling to beautiful places to new places to uphill places to eating places to creeks to friends to family- it was a day that challenged me, fulfilled me, and left me with hungry for more. I don’t regret the drops of sweat and profanities I shouted. I need to remember that the challenges are worth it. I could have taken the lazy road and TV-binged all day but instead I signed up for a road that was slightly askew but worth it in the end. Lesson learning: No road toward adventure is as straightforward as I want it to be (and I need to be okay with that).

You know those moments when you see something absolutely majestic and you’ve got a broken camera? I had that moment on Wednesday and I was devastated. Staring at the beautiful view, I wanted to so badly frame what I was looking at and bring it home with me. How did people do it without cameras 180 years ago? What did they have to remember the moment? Thinking about the pre-Instagram Era and feeling a little baffled, I told myself to take it in as much as I could, remember everything, look at every detail, try and sketch it later…but remember to come back.

Where am I going with this? Mid-way through my writing, I added a “Pt. 1” because I don’t think I can fit everything into one post. There are too many things I am thankful for, especially the intangible things that are in my life, I am amazed and I don’t know why I’m not thankful everyday. Thanksgiving should be everyday.

Sometimes things go awry, like my case of being camera-less but if people did it before, I can do it too. I won’t forget that view and that place and that day, I’d rather have the moment than the picture.

But here’s one taken by my brother: