Giving Thanks

Contrary to popular belief, the first recorded Thanksgiving ceremony took place on September 8, 1565. Under the leadership of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, six hundred Spaniards landed at what is now St. Augustine, Florida, and immediately held a Mass of Thanksgiving for their safe delivery to the New World; there followed a feast and celebration. It had nothing to do with Pilgrims, Indians or turkey…that happened fifty-six years later.

In fact, the Pilgrims of Plymouth owe quite a bit of thanks to Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel, grow corn and served as an interpreter for them; he learned English as a slave in Europe.

In 1621, immediately after their first harvest, the Pilgrims set apart a day to celebrate. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals were existing parts of English and Wampanoag tradition alike. The Pilgrims did not hold a true Thanksgiving until 1623, following a drought. The Pilgrims prayed for rain and a rain shower followed. In the Plymouth tradition, Thanksgiving Day became a church observance, rather than a feast day.

The day two races came together to give thanks, share food and fellowship should be remembered, celebrated and honored. However, the commercialism of today’s Thanksgiving celebration, with the plethora of tacky turkey trinkets makes me gag, yuck! Not to trivialize an important day in American history, but shouldn’t we be giving thanks for the gifts, blessings and love we receive on a daily basis, not just on a designated Thursday in November? Yes, many of us do, but far too many do not.

On Thanksgiving Day, when you sit down to your traditional meal and celebrate with family and friends, start a new tradition…giving thanks daily.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and toasting new traditions...cheers!

The Bliss of a Kiss

In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” Absolutely, Mr. Holmes! In fact, that echo can last for weeks on end.

While the scientific definition takes the sexiness out of it, isn’t it amazing that the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction brings such pleasure? Moreover, it reveals emotions without words and on occasion, allows reality to slap us in the face.

The history of the kiss is quite interesting. In fact, the Romans started several kissing traditions that have lasted to the present day. In ancient Rome, couples became betrothed by kissing passionately in front of a group of people. This is probably one reason why couples kiss at the end of wedding ceremonies. Additionally, although most people today think of love letters as "sealed with a kiss," kisses were used to seal legal and business agreements. Ancient Romans also used kissing as part of political campaigns. However, several "kisses for votes" scandals in 18th century England led - in theory - to candidates kissing only the very young and very old.

In the movie, Gone With the Wind, Rhett Butler tells Scarlett O’Hara, "You should be kissed and often - and by somebody who knows how." Little did Rhett know, today’s world of social media allows the exchange of “muwah,” “muah” and “xoxo” to be shared freqently throughout our busy days!

Bread…It’s Not a Bad Thing

For most of the world, the appetite for bread is an essential part of being human. In our country, we have such an abundance of things to eat that we forget what a central role bread once played in our diet, and still plays in many other places. Take Egypt, where the word for bread, ''eish,'' literally means ''life.''

''He who has bread and something to dip it in,'' runs an Egyptian proverb, ''has the whole of happiness.''

In the Middle East --- which is, after all, where it was invented thousands of years ago --- bread has a sort of sanctity. If a piece falls on the floor, you don't eat it, but you don't throw it away, either. You're supposed to pick it up, kiss it and put it on the table. When people notice a piece of bread on the ground, they will sometimes pick it up and leave it in a visible place.

Bread is not just food; it's the symbol of sociability. In Eastern Europe, guests are traditionally greeted with bread and salt; in the Middle East, it's with bread and water; and in my home, it’s French bread, herbed butter and wine. ''To break bread'' is still our term for establishing or sustaining a social relationship. Even now, we consider it treachery to turn against someone in which you've broken bread.

Of course, ''breaking bread'' is just a phrase with us. We slice our bread; rather, we usually buy it sliced. But in some places, in North Africa, for instance, the idea of cutting bread with a sharp metal implement, rather than tearing it with the hands, is shocking. The association between sharing bread and unthreatening intimacy is that close.

There's a widespread need to ask divine blessing on this central food. In Judaism, the breaking of bread is accompanied by a blessing, as it is in the Christian Eucharist.

The ancient Sumerians made breads called ninda, mostly from barley; the Assyrians, living in wheat-growing country, made wheat breads called akalu. The ancient Egyptians mentioned a number of breads: white bread, crumbly bread, fragrant bread, date bread, sourdough bread (a distinctly sour variety called kyllastis, which the Greeks borrowed), breakfast bread, traveler's bread, hardtack, pyramid-shaped bread, obelisk-shaped bread, stamped bread --- scores of kinds, a number of them baked only for the gods.

Medieval Arab writings mention paper-thin breads, thick breads, pocket breads, round breads, ring-shaped breads, braided breads, breads shaped like ears of wheat and like ladders. Modern Iraq has breads of its own: gursa (a flat bread for wrapping kebab), sammuna (a spongy unleavened bread), uruq (a yeast bread with chopped meat and vegetables mixed into the dough).

It's no accident that every civilization throughout history has been based on grain. Grains are the seeds of grasses, the go-getters of the vegetable kingdom: fast-growing, stripped-down plants consisting of nothing but roots and leaves. Not terribly finicky about climate or soil, these little machines for converting sunlight into food energetically colonize something like a quarter of the world's land. Even the animals we have domesticated tend to live on grasses, so most of our meat, milk and eggs are recycled grass or grain.

Wheat is the most nutritious of the common grains, containing carbohydrates and every amino acid we need (though not all in sufficient quantity, which is why traditional foods so often combine wheat with meat, beans or dairy products).

It turns out you can't live on bread alone, but you can live quite well without adding much else.
There's just nothing like the smell of fresh bread to give a feeling of comfort, of being cared for, a confidence that life will go on. It's the basic comfort food.

The proverbial Egyptian description of a sourpuss is: ''He never smiles, not even for hot bread.''

Festivals, Intercultural Society and Monticello Deer Experience

The city’s charm, my love of venison and the persuasion of a friend inspired me to attend the 43rd Annual Monticello Deer Festival. If you are not familiar with Monticello, Georgia, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The city’s architectural styles include Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Second Empire, Colonial, Neoclassical, English Tudor and Craftsman. As a result, Monticello boasts several film credits, including My Cousin Vinny, which was filmed at the Jasper County Courthouse, Dave's BBQ on Frobel Street and the Sac-O-Suds, located at Jackson Lake Road and Highway 16. In addition, Monticello is the deer capital of Georgia, thus the annual deer festival.

While assisting Nancy Arnold Wood, president and executive director of the Jasper-Monticello Chamber of Commerce, with a myriad of pre-festival tasks, I thought about the numerous festivals I’ve attended over the years and the joy in which I experienced by watching the attendees, entertainers and vendors. As I reflected, it occurred to me that festivals play a powerful role in turning a multicultural society into an intercultural society.

First of all, festivals reach broad audiences. The number of people attending festivals annually is on the rise, which demonstrates growing interest in the events organized within the frameworks of festivals. For instance, the Monticello Deer Festival hosts a one-mile fun run, a 5k run/walk and a parade.

Festivals give artists the opportunity to combine their own experience with the local one, creating a positive and illuminating example of integration.

The audiences attending festival events are encouraged to actively participate in them, thus promoting a sense of belonging and community.

Festivals boost cultural tourism. As visitors attend festivals in different regions, they come into contact with new and different cultures and learn about traditions and history.

Festivals play a unique role in the context of education by promoting a culture of peace and shaping understanding and respect amongst groups of people.

Outreach and fringe activities provide easy and open access to the cultural activities of festivals for all kind of audiences, attracting all kinds of people, thus enhancing the process of social inclusion.

Festival events take place in convivial atmospheres and in open venues, which can be accessed by all, including disadvantaged people and ethnic or cultural minorities.

My love of people, places, food, art and culture began at a very early age. My guess is that festivals played an integral part in my development.

The Art of Remembering Names

The ability to remember names is a valuable asset in both business and social arenas. It helps you build an instant rapport with new contacts and it makes a good impression on employers, too.

The art of remember names can by mastered by following the techniques below:

1. Be interested.
Many of us don't even catch the other person's name when they're being introduced because we’re too focused on other things. So, the first step to remembering a name is to pay attention as you are introduced.

2. Verify.
Unless the person has introduced himself to you, verify what he or she wishes to be called. At a conference or seminar, for example, the name tag may have been typed incorrectly or it may be a more formal or informal version of the name in which they prefer to be addressed. Or, someone may have introduced you who doesn't know the person well. Asking what they prefer (e.g. "Jeff introduced you as Debbie, is that what you prefer to be called?") will not only cement the name in your mind, but also ensures you are using the name that pleases your new acquaintance. Lastly, never address someone by an initial unless you have given permission to do so.

3. Picture the name written across their forehead.
Franklin Roosevelt continually amazed his staff by remembering the names of nearly everyone he met. His secret? He used to imagine seeing the name written across the person's forehead. This is a particularly powerful technique if you visualize the name written in your favorite color of Magic Marker.

4. Imagine writing the name.
To take step three even further, neural linguistic programming (NLP) experts suggest getting a feel for what it would be like to write the name by moving your finger in micro-muscle movements as you are seeing the name and saying it to yourself.

5. Relate the name.
Try to associate a person's name with a familiar image or famous person. For example, if a woman's name is Jacqueline, picture her as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a pink suit and pillbox hat. If a man's name is Arnold, imagine him as the "Terminator" or striking a body-builder pose.

6. Use it frequently.
Try to use the name three or four times during your conversation. Use it when you first meet, when you ask a question and in your departure, (e.g., "Andrew, it was a pleasure talking to you. Maybe we'll get a chance to chat again sometime.")

7. Record the name in a "new contacts" file.
Top sales representatives keep a record of new contact names and information, including where and when they met. Review it now and then, especially when you will be attending a conference or meeting where you may see these individuals again.

Using these techniques will dramatically increase your ability to recall names, but it is inevitable that at one time or another you may slip up. If you do happen to run into someone whom you previously met and can't remember their name, you have two options:

Look delighted to see them, lock eyes and extend a warm, "Good to see you again," and then find out their name from a friend later.

Or, with the same warmth, try the more direct, "I remember you well, but your name has slipped my mind."