An unusual Thanksgiving

In this era of all days being the same, this year’s Thanksgiving has snuck up on me. In a normal fall full of Admissions travel, I know Thanksgiving is just about here when I start feeling like I can’t stand the thought of dealing with another airport, at which point we promptly head to the airport to visit my wife’s family for the holiday. Things are different this year, a sentiment from which I’ve gotten a lot of mileage lately.

On my end, things would have been different even without a pandemic. We have a three month-old in tow now, so holiday travel would have presented a whole new degree of difficulty. Perhaps avoiding airport diaper changes is one of the many things for which I can be thankful. We’re also fortunate to have one family member within our quarantine bubble who can join us for the holiday. So while we find ourselves unexpectedly hosting the holiday (our first time!), and while we’ll be pulling the new-parent cop-out move of relying pretty heavily on pre-made meal fixings, we’re still looking forward to what for my money is the best traditional American holiday of the year.

I very much hope that some version of this is true for our blog readers, too. I’m so thankful for all our current students whose adaptability, creativity, and patience have made the remote learning environment the best possible version of itself. I’m also thankful to all our prospective students for your continued interest in Fletcher, for your appreciation of the crucial role of skilled international professionals in defeating a global pandemic, and your understanding not just of the constraints but also the potential and possibilities of our present moment.

Whatever your circumstances and wherever you currently find yourself, best wishes for continued health and safety, and for the happiest possible Thanksgiving!