Giving Thanks

It sounds pretty straightforward and probably cliche, but it is the time of year to give thanks. Regardless of what you feel about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it, at least once a year we should take some time to pause and think about the good things we got in life. We are a society where we often think of what we don't have. Take a count of what you got; consider what you need to work on.

The beauty of stability is that it takes away our worries from daily things which some do worry about. Consider that the next time you get upset because someone caught you off in traffic or because you didn't get a specific gift for your birthday. There's a great book which came out about a decade ago called "The Celestine Prophecy." One of the ideas in the book was taking to time to enjoy eating your food. Savoring it. Appreciating it not just because it tastes good but because it's fuel for your body.

I remember my two Thanksgivings in Arizona. The first year I was surrounded by a great group of students whom I made Thanksgiving Dinner for (yep that's right: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, homemade pumpkin pie). The next year my friend Papa invited me to his family's house for Thanksgiving. Any occasion to celebrate with the fam is always a time to appreciate the people who helped raise you. And any occasion where friends 'pinch hit' for the fam is a chance to celebrate the people who keep you centered.

Thanks to the ability to try different activities. My friend Jim recently decided to get his bartending licence. The story's a longer one but in short he's looking to find a way to involve himself in some outside of work regular activity. He'd be a great bartender too. He's a great listener, udnerstands the social scene at bars, is very cordial toward everyone, and enjoys the bar type atmosphere. It's a great hobby for him.

Even though there are bad days, and days where you come home exhausted, let's be thankful for our jobs. It's regular activity. Our jobs keep us mobile. They provide new challenges or a chance to accomplish something. I realize that it's a part of a daily grind but at the same time our jobs provide for extra support in many other areas of our life without which we would not be complete people.

Finally, I want to give special thanks to the ability to write. Writing has and always will be a passion of mine. Ever since 3rd grade the ability to entertain folks through writing has become paramount to my identity. And I'm even more appreciative of my creative writing class, the MMLA conference I attended last year in Milwaukee, and looking toward the future of being a full time student in a PhD English program.

It's no coincidence, if you've been a regular reader for the past few months, that these five areas which I suggest we give thanks to, are also the five priority areas which make up the Priority Web. This nice thing about this weekend is that there is some time to pause and look at the big picture of who we are. Remember that these priorities (Stability, Family/Friends, Hobbies, Job, Career) will have different outcomes and goals and needs and expectations for different people. Some of us may be gifted in socializing so attaining close friends may not be a problem. Some of us are naturally discplined to maintain a hobby no matter how stressful our life is. No matter who we are maintain our priorities takes three very important things: Hard Work, Passion, and Perserverance.

I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, thank you for being supportive and enjoy a big honkin' peice of Pumpkin Pie.

pb