Dear Charlie Brown,

Hey old pal.  I know you're not real and all, but when you're schizophrenic like I am, you're used to communicating with people (and voices) that aren't real.

I remember watching your Thanksgiving special, Charlie Brown.  I can't believe that no-good Lucy had the lack of decency to pull that football away on a national holiday.  Now that I think about it, she shows all the warning signs of becoming a PPD.

How sneaky.



Don't worry, Charlie Brown.  I've been chosen to lead the PPD-PD, so we'll be able to put a stop to the deceptive and malicious actions of PPDs like Lucy.

So anyway, Charlie Brown ... I was writing you a letter because it's Thanksgiving Eve and I don't have anyone else to talk to.  Well, nobody except my dog, Neo.

I can see why you and Snoopy were so tight.


I saw the crowd you ran around with, Charlie Brown.  It seemed like they were always bringing some type of trouble, disappointment, or frustration into your life experience.


Charlie Brown, it's tempting to sacrifice your own standards — just to have someone to hang out with.  You want to "fit in" or "have something to do," so you'll allow others to take advantage of your niceness.

You'll spend your Thanksgiving with that no-good PPD Lucy — only to be a victim (yet again) of one of her sneaky schemes.  You'll hang out with Pigpen — who refuses to clean his act up.  You'll even hang out with Linus — who sucks on his thumb, carries a blanket, and refuses to grow up.


Let's not forget about the stalker-like obsession Peppermint Patty projects onto your life-experience — with her unsolicited invites, harassing phone calls, and bi-polar mood swings.

Why did you do this for so many years, Charlie Brown?

It's because you didn't respect yourself, Charlie Brown.  You lowered your personal standards in order to "not be lonely."

Dr. Wayne Dyer said, "You're always alone, but you're only lonely if you don't like the person you're alone with."

With the holiday season upon us, Charlie Brown, you're going to be put into tempting situations.  Those "caught in the Matrix," or worldly patterns, are already beginning to alter their lives in order to "fit in."

They know they're "supposed" to do this and they're "supposed" to do that.  They're "supposed" to go here and they're "supposed" to go there.  They're blindly following the "supposed to" patterns ... because they've never considered doing anything "outside-the-box."

They're afraid to follow their true bliss.

Charlie Brown, if hanging out with Snoopy (the one being who has never let you down) is your holiday "bliss," then do that!

Although I've received Thanksgiving invites from several well-intentioned humans, when it comes to "playing nice" for three hours in a room full of strangers or spending the holiday with my dog — I choose my dog!

I feel the same way about driving ten hours to eat dinner with my family, just because I'm "supposed to."  We can eat dinner together the next time I'm in town.  There's no need to make a big deal about the fourth Thursday in November, just because "everyone else is doing it."

Charlie Brown, I guess the point of this post is to help you realize the following:

The ability to feel ecstatic joy and gratitude already exists within you — right here, right now.



You don't have to follow the patterns of the world in order to experience a "Thanksgiving."  In fact, you can experience Thanksgiving every single day — if you choose.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown!  You deserve it!

Your BOP,

Brandon

THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR TODAY:

• Neo — my super-smart dog
• coffee
• hot water for showers and baths
• Jenny, Jef, and Grandpa Bill — my three most loyal and thoughtful friends
• finishing my second book
• my beautiful home and fireplace
• my dysfunctional family
• My Facebook and Twitter Fam  :]
• the ability to eat food whenever I'm hungry
• my web visitors
• turkey gravy is great for bread-dipping all year round
• salt and pepper
• my homemade ranch dressing
• my car and motorcycle
• cultivating my ability to express myself through writing
• the ability to inspire others
• Church of the Highlands (and their free coffee)  :]
• cultivating intuition and empathy
• wisdom, grace, and forgiveness
• the strength to forgive others — over and over again
• the wisdom to understand that forgiveness and proximity are two different things.