November 27, 2008 7:09 AM

Thanksgiving seems a good time to give thanks, no?

And when we're done, we can watch football!!

It may be horribly unoriginal to think of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving, but if you can't do it on a day like this, when are you going to do it? Like most of y'all, I have more than a few things that I'm thankful for (Yippee!! Only 54 days left until Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © slinks out of the Oval Office!!), and since this is my sandbox, I thought I'd share a few of what's on my list. It's not a complete list by any means, and the items included may not be as esoteric as Houston Chronicle columnist Rick Casey giving thanks for illegal aliens (take away illegals and you lose most of Texas' history), but if I step back and take an honest look at the mess that is my life, I'm fully cognizant of the reality that I'm a very lucky person.

Like so many, I tend to think of things to be thankful for in list form. So, without further ado, a list of some of the things I'm thankful for:

  • Waking up every day, checking the obituary section in that morning's Oregonian...and not seeing my named listed. If I'm still drawing breath, it's a good day.

  • The power of forgiveness, the hope of redemption, and the possibility of a second chance. Sometimes, when you lose control and (&^% up on an epic scale, you learn what love really is.

  • A decent job, a salary I can live on, and a roof over my head. Life may not be perfect, and I may not (yet) have my dream home, but I'm warm, dry, and well-fed. In times like these, when so many seem to be losing so much, complaining about the little things seems rather disingenuous...or, as George Carlin once said, "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty thing." True enough.

  • Not waking up in Mumbai this morning. Yes, America has it's problems. And there are still folks out there who want to kill us dead. When compared to most of the rest of the world, though, we're still far safer here than just about anywhere else.

  • Living in a place that feeds my soul and gives me a peaceful, easy feeling. After 10+ years in Texas, I know of which I speak. Life in Portland may not be perfect, but I love being here, and every morning when I walk out to my car to leave for work I have to fight the urge to pinch myself.

  • Loving and being loved. I may not be the sort of person who lets a lot of people into his life on anything more than a peripheral basis, but I do know that I'm loved, and that's an amazing feeling. Now if we could just figure out how to be in the same place at the same time.

  • The ability to recognize my blessings and be at peace with my life. It ain't always easy being me, and I may not always do a very good job of it, but it's my life, and while there are things I wish were different, it's tough to complain. Things could always be worse...if only because they have been.

  • Being blessed with the gift of being able to write reasonably well. I've been granted the ability to string together complete sentences in a manner that can on occasion set others to thinking. It's an amazing thing to step back and realize that what I write is read by people all over the world...even if not always in large numbers. No, I haven't yet figured out how to make a living with my writing, but it's incredibly humbling to realize that there are people who read WWJD on a daily basis. Not only that, they look forward to it...which proves one of two things: either my writing does have an impact on people, or there are a lot of folks out there with WAY too much time on their hands.

There's more, of course, but this seems a good start. While I'm pondering my place in the world and being thankful for the many good things I have in my life, I'm going to look forward to some SERIOUS football-watching. Wherever all y'all may be, and whatever you may be doing, I hope that today finds you safe, happy, and surrounded by those you love. Life is good...and not only because it beats the alternative!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Now get off the computer and go have some fun.... ;-)

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on November 27, 2008 7:09 AM.

Sarah Palin: the gift that keeps on giving was the previous entry in this blog.

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