"Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you, thank you silence"
--Alanis Morrissette
Have you ever been really, really thankful...for EVERYTHING???
Here's a short list of what I'm thankful for.....
The table on which I'm currently propping my feet.
The wool socks on my feet.
My feet.
The legs to which my feet are attached.
Coffee.
Coffee.
And Coffee.
Friends who think the wacky stuff I sometimes write on coffee cups is funny.
The Sharpie with which I write said wacky stuff.
Cranberry sauce.
My momma's cornbread dressing on which I pile said cranberry sauce.
The spandex that is woven into the nylon pants I'm wearing...the extra room is needed today.
Antihistamines.
Drugstores that operate under capitalism which allow for me to buy said antihistamines.
The sound of Jack laughing in his bedroom.
Jack.
His sister Ashlyn.
Their brother Grant.
All their family, for without them, they wouldn't exist.
My stopped up nose...for without sometimes being sick, we wouldn't really know what health is.
Airplanes.
People who work in airplanes.
People who know how to fly, and most importantly, land airplanes safely. Without them, there would be no OTMD.
The Spotted Cat.
The dollar I left there.
Melaine Marcella.
Second chances.
Music.
Getting to play music.
Getting to teach music.
Getting to watch people I taught play music.
Movie theater butter popcorn.
Coca-cola from McDonalds.
Marco Polo videos from old college friends who just wanted to say "Happy Thanksgiving!"
Books.
People who write books.
People who recommend me books to read.
Friends who have my back.
Rides in Corvettes.
The beach.
Hammocks tied up at the beach.
Sunsets.
Sunrises.
The fact that the sun rises.
The stars.
Ham sandwiches made with the ham you cooked for Thanksgiving.
Motorcycles.
Hot showers.
Cold showers.
Forgiving.
Being forgiven.
Employment.
Ibuprofen.
Being reminded of when I'm right and when I wrong.
The opportunity to make someone's day.
Having my day made.
Sleep.
Insomnia, for that is usually when I sort things out.
Homemade vanilla ice cream.
Homemade vegetable beef soup.
Farmers who grow the ingredients for homemade vegetable soup.
The rain that makes those ingredients grow.
Gasoline.
Comfortable bed sheets.
My new mattress.
Ice makers in freezers.
Silence.
Sound.
The sound of Ashlyn's voice when she says "Daddy."
Getting to be a daddy.
Trees.
Trees that turn color in the fall.
Trees that don't.
Spicy BMT sandwiches from Subway.
Plagal cadences. Music folks will get that one...The one at the end of Maher 5, adagietto is divine.
Watching someone be completely happy.
Watching someone struggle, for in this there is an opportunity to help.
Winning.
Losing, for in losing, I grow.
Photographs.
Mercy.
Freedom to express all this crap.
Hope.
The center biscuit.
TJ Blackburn's syrup to go on the center biscuit.
Feeling safe in my house at night.
Late night talks on the phone.
Schilke trumpet mouthpieces.
Harmony.
The crust on the edge of piece of pecan pie. Lord yes.
Honestly, this could go on forever, and that's the point! EVERYTHING is something to be thankful for...even the random "trivial" stuff.
Confucius said "we can be thankful today because we learned a lot. And if we didn't learn a lot, we learned a little. And if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick. And if we got sick, at least we didn't die." Let that sink in.
I think thankfulness is mindset more than it is anything. We must train our minds to find the thing for which to be thankful, because sometimes that can be very difficult. Life can, and often will, throw some real curveballs our way. Sometimes, they are less curveballs, and more gigantic avalanches of STUFF! And when those days come and stay and turn into weeks or months or years....thankfulness might be our only escape. I hope I can become more thankful than I am. For everything.
Have a great day folks!
