Since it is Thanksgiving, it seems that today is an appropriate day for me to explain why I am no longer participating in Soup for a Year.
Simply, I was the last one going and I just felt like I wanted to stop. It wasn’t that I was physically unable to eat soup anymore. And it wasn’t that Lynda was tired of the experience either. Throughout the entire process, she was more willing to support my efforts than I ever thought she would be when I started.
No, I just knew in my heart and in my mind that I would not be actually going for a whole year, and Brie had dropped out a few days before. And Mike had already declared his determination to quit before the week was out. And so I would be going it alone.
Thanksgiving did play a part in my decision. I knew by that day that Lynda’s parents would be visiting us (and they are here now) and I didn’t want to become a confusing distraction from what would already be a challenging day of cooking and finding spaces to sit and all the stuff that always is a part of every Thanksgiving. My soup taking up burner space and dividing the attention from the regular food preparations would have been selfish and slightly wrong-headed of me.
Now, I am glad that our efforts were entertaining to some for a while. And I am extremely thankful to those few of our S365 followers who pledged to donate some money to the Mid Ohio Food Bank in honor of our efforts. I hope they will send in their donations before Christmas arrives so that the food bank can put their generosity to good use during this time of year when people are needing more help than ever.
Part of me is disappointed that I didn’t push myself a bit harder. And when I realized that the S365 Facebook page had generated over 40 fans, I felt bad for letting them down as well. But I think we did pretty well in getting some attention in a short two+ weeks of activity. It makes me wonder what other nutty things I might be able to think of in the coming year that would turn our community of friends into some sort of force for good.
If you have any ideas in that regard, please send me an email or contact me in some way. Until the next time, enjoy your turkey, tofu, stuffing, potatoes, and whatever else you choose to eat today (even soup). Take some time to think of family and friends.
(formerly) Souperly yours,
David
Soup for a Year 