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Editor’s Note

Earlier this month, my sister asked me if I’d like to run in a Turkey Trot on Presque Isle in Erie on Thanksgiving Day.

“I don’t know,” I kept telling her.

Being lazy all morning sounded like way more fun.

I tend to dread races until the process has begun. Then it’s over in a flash and something has been accomplished.

After a few minutes of mental debate on Thursday morning, I decided to run the 5K and spend some quality time with my sister, mom, dad and brother-in-law’s sister, Juliette.

Presque Isle is a beautiful place. I like how Lake Erie looks like the ocean, especially from behind the mountainous sand dunes.

Somewhere along the way, I came across a stretch of beach to my right and the blue-green waves looked so pretty, calmly lapping over themselves as the sun rose high. It was one of those snapshot moments that stick with you for the rest of your life.

I felt grateful to be with my family and the rest of the nearly 4,000 people who were there starting Thanksgiving Day together. Funny as it sounds, I was also feeling thankful for my legs. They carry me across miles and miles of pavement with assistance from the rest of my body and mind.

I’m assuming there will come a time in life when I can’t run anymore. When that time comes, I want to be able to say I ran as much as I could when I had the chance.

With that being said, I will be running in the 15th annual Amy’s Run 5K today in Lakewood.

A Celoron native, King, was killed while working as a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 175, which took off from Boston and was bound for Los Angeles before it was hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists and flown into the south tower of New York City’s World Trade Center on 9/11.

Although I never met her, I bet she’d be glad to know our community has been running in her memory for 15 consecutive seasons.

Today, we will do just that.

The race begins at 11 a.m. at the Lakewood Community Center and late registration will also be held from 9-10:30 a.m.

I’ve never run this race, but it marks No. 4 for me this year and for that, I am all the more thankful.

Editor’s Note

I’ve been angry at myself for not writing about veterans in my column on the Saturday before Veterans Day. How could it have slipped my mind?

I’ve long had a passion for those who serve this country. When I look back and ponder the things I could have changed, I believe joining the military might have been good for me.

I say that with somewhat of a matured hindsight. I perform best with structure, organization and a clear process. I also do my best work under pressure.

This week I watched “American Sniper,” which I had seen before. I feel like it’s a reminder of what those on the front lines go through in their fight to protect us and make it back home.

With Thanksgiving and the holidays approaching, I think of all those who will spend dinner in barracks all over the world, thousands of miles away from the ones they love. They are the ones who give us the chance to spend our holiday however we want.

I feel grateful for the opportunity to enjoy more than one Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Different friends of mine hold a “Friendsgiving” dinner, typically held the Thursday before Turkey Day. It took place this week and there were more friends in attendance than usual, thus more food.

Everyone feasted until the appropriate time came to go home and fall into a hazy, tryptophan-induced snooze. There is no sleep quite like a post-turkey sleep.

I like how new friends are made at Friendsgiving each year. It symbolizes the premise of the holiday – enjoy a feast and conversation with faces new and old and learn how to make new food brought to the table by others.

I have yet to decide what to make to bring to the main event on Thanksgiving Day, typically held at my aunt Teresa’s house.

A family dinner at aunt Teresa’s is comparable to the opening scene of “Home Alone,” with a massive group of kids and adults all in the same house. It’s one of the best days of the year. Family pets are welcome too and they all get along, vying for treats from anyone who might be willing to drop a piece of turkey to the side. My parents’ dog, Max, has left Thanksgiving dinner sleepier than the rest of us on more than one occasion.

I’m really looking forward to the special day.

May it be a pleasant start to the holiday season for all and big (belated) thanks goes out to all the veterans. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Editor’s Note

I’ve been picking up extra serving shifts lately in order to save money for Christmas.

I prefer to spend the cash instead of swiping a card and facing the dreaded bill later on.

So, no plastic means more work.

It’s pretty easy to pick up a shift almost any day of the week, thanks to a smartphone app that allows every employee in the restaurant to work around schedules and trade shifts or give them away within minutes.

And if there is a busy season in the restaurant where I work, this is it.

Last weekend, there was a line at the door and guests waited upward of 30 minutes for a seat. This trend will remain consistent (from what I know) until the holiday hype dies down and the wrapping paper is put away.

I’ve said before that I love to waitress. It’s the regular customers and socializing we do that keeps me going.

However, the fire that has kept me going for so long is starting to burn out.

I don’t want to quit – I just wish my customers had more manners.

It’s the people who cut me off mid-sentence when I tell them my name and they bark in turn, “Water,” as a drink request.

It’s the ones who yell my name out and wave their hands in the air from five tables away for a side of ketchup while I’m trying to take an order from another table.

I am shocked when I ask, “How are you tonight?” and my customers actually look up and reply.

Extra points go to the tables who ask me how I am in return.

I had a table tell me they were “so glad” I had found a “real job” outside of being employed as a restaurant worker.

For those who don’t know, it’s offensive to say that to a server, or to anyone with a job for that matter.

I will say, in the last three shifts I have worked, customers have been consistently pleasant and kind to me and I have left work in a happier mood. What’s sad is that it’s abnormal.

I do my best to be gracious and kind when I dine out. To me, the opportunity is a privilege and I try to, at the very least, be nice to the people who handle my food.

So, while you’re out holiday shopping or simply having dinner or a drink, try to treat your server, bartender, or anyone taking care of you how you’d like to be taken care of.

It makes the experience much more pleasant for everyone involved.

Editor’s Note

I find language and communication fascinating.

The way we use words verbally and in written form is scientific.

Each person is equipped with their own unique style of handwriting and no two voices in the world sound the same.

I like to imagine how far the English language has traveled and morphed into what it is today. I like a turkey sub, but in other regions I might like a hoagie (Philadelphia), grinder (New England), spuckie (Boston, only), po’ boy (Gulf Coast) or wedge (eastern New York). I’ve never used those last few terms in reference to a sub, by the way.

Accents and unique slang will never stop transforming over and over across the world.

Perhaps there is a correlation there as to how stories change with repeated translation.

A long time ago, I heard a story about a Jamestown native who left the area and found great success.

It went around that the person had said some distasteful things in regard to their hometown, which upset many, including me.

The story came up in conversation with an acquaintance of mine this week. Little did I know, his wife is related to the person about which the story originated.

“You know that story was fabricated to the point where it was no longer true, right?” he asked, further explaining how it all started and eventually gave the person somewhat of a bad reputation.

The moment, while brief, made me realize the importance of choosing words wisely, and more importantly, avoiding the formation of assumptions based on rumors and stories.

While they may be just words, rumors can ruin lives.

Imagine if we stopped believing everything we heard, took a moment to reflect on our own opinions and took sources into consideration.

It blows my mind that there is no filter in terms of the Internet and how anyone can release a story out into the world.

Countless times, I’ve seen ridiculous stories go viral on Facebook.

I see the same photos and links to the same unbelievable stories and become outraged when readers don’t take just a few minutes to dig a little deeper.

While it’s fairly easy to find an original source online, it is not always so easy in real life. We should still try to seek the truth though and defend it, always.

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