Sometimes you wake up particularly thankful. I'm in one of those moods myself.
I'm very thankful for all that I have in my life...
...Dale of course... last night he was at work for over twelve hours fixing a server problem. He stuck with it half the week trying to figure it out, and knew when to start over and who to ask for help. And he even put up with me being a dingleberry while he was in the midst of it all. Then he still had the energy to say he loves me and thanked me for trying to help. Might sound funny but I'm thankful for seeing his eyebrows in the morning, because they're kinda cute, and remind me of his expressions when he's playing table tennis. I'm thankful for his health so he can do all the activities he enjoys and those brows remind me of how active and happy he is.
...Family and friends... My mother taught me a lot in life and gave me an awesome vocabulary. Despite our struggles, she somehow managed to keep me in her life, and has been there for me during the particularly bad times. She is a woman with a strong sense of work ethic which at times has frustrated me but also became a strong admiration point, if for nothing else than her strength of conviction, which I feel I sometimes lack; I can look up to her for this when I need it. I also have the most awesome mother-in-law who practices regularly the concept of "RAK" (random acts of kindness). She has fully supported me in my relationship with her son, sees the good in people, has bestowed this wonderful attribute on Dale and is simply an absolute sweetheart. My other mother-in-law is similarly awesome, holding family get-togethers to keep everyone in contact, providing delicious food for everyone, and organizing things to make them all run smoothly. My father-in-law is a quiet but entertaining dude who taught his kids all about their later trades in life, spawning the interest that I can relate to myself and admire them for getting into. He gave them a foundation to avoid fear of electricity by knowing how to handle it, giving them a grasp on things before they got to school. My sister-in-law, too, for her strength and courage. My brother-in-law, for his honesty and responsibility. There are others but this would take a while... Finally, I have many friends who haven't given up on me despite my oddities. If that alone wasn't enough, many of them actually /appreciate/ my oddities and don't take offense at them!
...Pets... Kitty and I get along for the most part now, and I'm thankful for that because it's becoming easier to see what others see in her when she's not clawing my leg and glaring at me! She's quite pretty and sweet, in fact. Sinclair... where do I begin. The fuzzy of my heart. I am thankful for every morsel of food he begs for and then turns his back on, because it is evidence of his health as a cat. Lisa, I'm glad for the extra year of life she's had so far and I'm thankful that she does not appear to be in pain from her maladies. Pippin, for her cute little 'tude and velvety fuzziness.
...Our veterinarian. He's not God, but sometimes I think God might have trained him. He's done a lot for Lisa, bringing her through another year. I wish he could do more but his expertise and love of animals is so evident that I know everything has been done for her medically. He has saved Pippin a few times, too, from simple things like rhinitis which I had no clue about other than knowing something was wrong. The cats may not like him, but his shots are quick and easy despite their protests. He is a perfectionist, driven, working long hours, dedicated, and all the while, personable and cheerful.
...My dentist. It took me twenty years to find him and about as many dentists. He is not allowed to retire or move away, ever. I have told him this. 'Nuff said.
...My doctor. Pure luck finding him, I was just trying to find a provider to stick to my insurance plan. He's not a pill-pusher, he's gentle, kind, listens, and seems to have some intuitive understanding of what's wrong, or incredible power of suggestion. I still cannot forget the time I "knew" I had bronchitis based on past experience, and he listened, then told me to wait another week before getting the prescription filled because he had a feeling it would fix itself. It did - four days later, much to my surprise. I'm also thankful I don't see him more than once a year most of the time.
...My health... this goes without saying. Without health, you don't have much and it's much harder to appreciate everything else! Yeah, my foot still bothers me, but it was xrayed last year and nothing looked funky so I'm confident it's only the fasciia and it makes me feel better knowing I just have to be careful with it and avoid irritating it somewhat. It's not as painful as it was a year ago. I know how to try to avoid kidney stones, and I know what the beginnings of one feels like so I know when to "flush" it out before it gets me. I know how to ease my colds and flus and I still only get sick maybe three times a year and feel great whenever one bout is over. It's like a hard reboot of the body! So, I'm even thankful for the seasonal illnesses that go around and am thankful they don't take more lives than they do. I'm thankful that I'm strong and resilient and bounce back fairly quickly from colds and flus and know how to take care of myself and look at it in a productive and accepting way.
...Job. I'll admit that I'm happy where I work. I have awesome colleagues and an awesome boss who believes in me and always has. A couple of my colleagues have turned into friends and I'm very thankful for that, too. The environment is more productive and positive than it is negative... even during the less happy times, our team is a team and supportive of each other in some way. I am thankful for it being this way right now, and am enjoying it so long as it will last - and I am thankful for past experiences which tell me things could be horrible, and they could get horrible any time, so I can better enjoy the current times while they're good and have something to relive and remember if they go downhill later on.
...Truck. Six years old already, where did the time go? Maintenance is getting more expensive, and I can hear the groans of this cold winter settling in on the chassis and other metal parts. Yet every morning, it starts and roars to life. It amazes me that vehicles can be this reliable in the first place, let alone six years down the road. I have no doubt that I'll be saying this ten years from now about the same truck.
...The driving instructor who helped me earn my license. His efforts changed my life for the better. He gave me a gift I never imagined the implications of.
...House. What a treat to look off the front porch and see the very spot we got married on! What an awesome layout, with an awesome history, with just the right amount of land for gardening... no neighbours out back, just a beautiful sunrise over the treetops. Enough space, plenty of spots to sequester oneself if the need arises. Spots for company to stay, too. We are so lucky to have this place.
...Computers. Of course I love computers, but I'm really thankful right now for Talon, my newest addition. Being a laptop with a hard drive big enough to hold all my crap, it hit me last night that my whole life is now in one thin device. I can literally throw my life's work and memories in a bag and get in my truck and go. It is almost disturbing. But awesome.
...Food. Mmm. Food.
...Water to swim in and people that make that happen in the winter. I learned to swim last summer, not just the motions of it, or the concepts, but the feeling of it. At least, the relaxing part. The other day I went swimming in 87-degree water and inadvertently swam out to the 12' section, thinking I was going along the length of the 4' section. I got there, went to flip over, and realized suddenly that the floor of the pool was missing. Despite the panic I held myself together and was quick enough to realize that it was OK, because I knew how to swim now. Didn't stop me from being cautious and staying near the side, but I had lots of fun after that because it was something new, swimming out and having nothing scrape your foot... being able to fully extend in the water. They're right - it's much easier to tread in deeper water! It was also very nice to be swimming in comfort when it was below fifty outside. Quite refreshing.
... too much else to list. I want to go do other things and I'm thankful that writing more is not a requirement but something I naturally felt like doing and no longer wish to continue, and I have the freedom to start and stop at will. I'm thankful if this list inspires anyone else to feel thankful for their blessings, because it will mean I've helped someone else be happier with what they have and look at things differently, maybe.
Over and out.
~w
