You know that just before that first Thanksgiving dinner there was one wise, old Native American woman saying, “Don’t feed them. If you feed them, they’ll never leave.
- Dylan Brody
If you want proof that history is circular, try this one on: every 365 days we’re inundated with people writing about what they’re thankful for.
And here we go again….
Not that there’s anything wrong with being thankful, of course. Lord knows I’ve learned that many times over this past year…so, yes, I’m going to go all soft and mushy here…unashamedly so.
This past year has been a good one for me. Not that my life previously wasn’t good- it most definitely was- but this year I managed to one-up myself. After years of being estranged from my family, I finally took the initiative and tried to change course, which led to a family reunion in October. Over the course of a weekend, I went from believing I didn’t have a family to learning that the person most responsible for the separation and estrangement was…wait for it…me. After years of anger and miscommunication, I learned that my family had never really gone anywhere; I had to find myself before I could let go of my anger and reconnect with the people who’ve known me the longest. Today I’m missing my family, most of whom are back in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, while most of them love living in the Great White North, I know I could never go back to that climate and spend five months of the year dealing with snow and below-freezing temperatures. Yes, winters in Portland are grey, dreary, and rainy, but I don’t have to shovel rain.
I also got engaged this year, which I’m beyond thankful for. Erin has been the one person in my life I know I can count on absolutely, who will always be there no matter what. For the first time in my life, I can appreciate that. I can say I’m happy AND that I actually know what that means. We’re getting married on August 1st, and it feels like I’m doing the right thing for the right reasons- and that I know myself well enough to recognize the importance of that. I’m at a place in my life where things feel comfortable and easy. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s fun and it’s light. I can honestly say that I love my life…and not just because it beats the alternative. It most certainly does not suck to be Jack, and given what I’ve had to get through to reach this point, I appreciate that even more.
Artistically, I’m at a place where I finally appreciate my writing for what it is. I fully recognize, and am grateful for, my gift for stringing together complete sentences in a more often than not coherent fashion. Currently, I’m working on figuring out how, with 13+ years of material, I can use WWJD to write a book. I’m not at all certain what form (or how long) that will take, but it’s an idea I’ve been wanting to explore for quite some time. I think I’m finally comfortable enough with, and confident of, my abilities to make it happen.
I’m not as confident with my abilities on the guitar, but I’m improving, and when I play, it actually sounds musical, as if I sort of, maybe, possibly know what I’m doing. My goal is to play a few songs with the band at our wedding, but we’ll see how that goes. For now, I’m just thankful that I’m able to play the guitar, which has been a lifelong dream. I didn’t begin taking lessons until I was 50, but I’m grateful I did. The good news is that it looks as if I may be getting an electric guitar for Christmas. The wonderful Chinese family next door has NO idea of what they may be in for.
I’m a fortunate and- even better- happy man. I have friends, family, good health, my writing, and my music. I have someone beside me that I get to spend the rest of my (hopefully very long and healthy) life with. All in all, it’s a good life…and for that I’m very, very thankful.
Wherever you may be, I wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving and a safe and happy holiday season.
Let the War on Christmas begin!!
