The Chicken, The Egg, & The Gulf
Thanksgiving week is consistently my favorite week of the year. The specifics change—sometimes Wesley and I are with my family, sometimes with his, and some years we split our time somewhere between the two tables. But almost always, the week itself happens in one of my three favorite places—Birmingham, Cashiers, or St. George Island.
It probably says something that regardless of who is around the table, Thanksgiving is spent in these same anchors. Or maybe these places feel like anchors because they’ve held so many Thanksgivings.
Earlier this fall, my therapist asked me to name a place that felt peaceful—my “happy place.” I was quick to answer: “the beach at St. George Island.”
My time at SGI started when I was nine, when my parents bought a mint-green house just off the sand. For the next 25 years, SGI saw nearly every spring break, New Year’s, Easter, and many Thanksgivings. Family, childhood friends, high school friends, college friends, post college friends, in laws… I’ve pretty much had every version of a table here.
But the beach itself stands out to me not because it’s always been great—it stands out because it’s been a place where I’ve wrestled with ambiguity throughout my life.
I distinctly remember walking that shore at 14, talking to my parents about the very real possibility of going to boarding school for high school. (I did go.) It saw me through the awkward years—really awkward. It has been the setting for darker conversations, big decisions, shifting friend groups, quiet sadness, real joy, long walks, and a lot of thinking.
A couple years ago, my parents sold that mint-green house. This year, Wesley and I rented a home back on SGI for Thanksgiving, invited my family, and it felt like time to return to my “place.” Now, as the week wraps, I’m noticing how many thoughts have passed through my head on this beach over the last six days. And really, over the last year. Fertility, professional journeys, doctoral paths.
Because I don’t just think a lot when I’m here—I think a lot always. I’ve mentioned that before. I’m pretty much always thinking!
Lately I’ve been wondering about the feedback loop:
Do I love SGI because it’s been a safe place for all that thinking?
Or do I do my best thinking because I love SGI?
Either way, I am deeply grateful for this week. I’m grateful for a brain that thinks all the time. And I’m exceptionally grateful to have a place—big enough, safe enough, constant enough—to do this well.