Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Giving Thanks for Big and Small

Ah yes, Thanksgiving. It's the time of year when the weather in Seattle suddenly turns to soggy, windy nastiness. It was just last weekend I was out enjoying a beautiful, albeit rather chilly, ride on my motorcycle taking in the golden leaves, blue skies and dry roads. Apparently, that was this fair weather biker's last ride for the season. The rains came on Monday and haven't stopped for three days. Time to winterize the bike and store it until spring.


On the upside, rain in town equals snow in the mountains, so it is also time to drag the skis out of storage and head up to the mountains for my winter playtime activities. For that, I am thankful.


Before the Thanksgiving Day dinner, many families share the tradition of going around the table to announce what they are thankful for. Health, family, friends generally top the list. They top my list too. There is no doubt that I am thankful every day, not just at Thanksgiving, for my great health, my wonderful family, amazing friends, and, of course, Mr. Wonderful. But the list goes on.


I am thankful that I have choices. I don't always make the best choices, but at least I get to choose. Sometimes I waiver over my choices. Okay, I almost always waiver over my choices. Let's face it, as a woman in the 21st Century, I probably have more choices than any woman in history. But I am thankful that I have them, nonetheless. I think about women in many other cultures who are not blessed with the ability to make decisions and choose for themselves. Are they happier because life is simpler, or because they don't know that they are missing anything? Maybe. But I'd love to see all women at least have the chance to make decisions for themselves and choose their own destiny.



I'm thankful that I had the parents I had. Not everyone can say that. I didn't grow up in a Beaver Cleaver family where everything was perfect and my father's idea of reprimanding his kids was a stern talking to that included a parable and a lesson learned. Far from it. Money was tight; feeding a family of eight had to be rough on my dad, and at least one of us kids was causing some sort of trouble or another. However, somehow my parents did teach us life lessons in their own way. Among other things, they taught me to give people the benefit of the doubt, be open, trusting and compassionate, lend a helping hand, live life, and always keep your sense of humor no matter what. That keeping my sense of humor thing has gotten me through a lot of life's pickles.


As much as it is not my dream or even the slightest bit satisfying, I am thankful that I have the job I have. In these difficult times, being jobless is all too common and so many people are struggling. I find it sobering to walk past so many homeless, beggars, and people in need of assistance these days. These are just the folks I see in my daily travels. There are many more who aren't so obvious; quietly suffering in their homes just trying to stave off creditors and keep a roof over their heads.


And even the smaller things deserve the attention of a 'thank you.'


1. I'm thankful that all the clothes in my closet fit. That's probably due to the fact that I clean out my closet regularly so I don't have an array of fat clothes and skinny clothes. I just have clothes.



2. I'm thankful that my wonderful friend gave me a gift certificate for a spa treatment for my birthday four months ago and I hadn't had time to use it until today! What a great way to kick off my long weekend; I spent the day at the spa getting thoroughly pampered by Molly and Misty (their real names).


3. I'm thankful that my boyfriend also enjoys some of the same things I do: great shoes, spa treatments, curling up with a good book and taking long walks.


4. I'm also thankful that my boyfriend is sometimes "all boy": loves working on cars and motorcycles, playing drums and watching stupid boy movies. Couples need their separate time too.


5. And I'm thankful that, although my life is sometimes busier than I'd like, it's a full and satisfying one.



Happy Thanksgiving!