Giving Thanks - What are your gratitudes?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Another forum to which I once belonged did something when people were really feeling down. We would list out the things for which we were grateful. Since this past week has been particularly bad for me and since the upcoming week is Thanksgiving in the US, I thought it would be a good time to do just that. Please join me - be positive (no snarky remarks allowed) - what are you thankful for?

I will go first:

I am thankful for:

  1. the fact that my family has pulled closer when things have been bad
  2. my wife, in particular, for being there for me
  3. my daughters for being a part of my life and making me a better person
  4. the pets that have been in my life even though their lives are short
  5. the fact that I am employed at a time when many are not
  6. my boss - I actually have a decent boss at this time
  7. friends that I have in “real life” and on here
  8. changes of season - its freezing cold here right now, but spring comes closer each day
  9. the sun that is coming out right now - gray days make me cherish that
2

This is a hard thing to do today. Which is why it will be good to do.

I am Thankful for:

  1. My husband. My husband. Also, my husband.
  2. Not being destroyed by the current economic crisis.
  3. My steadily improving credit.
  4. New York City, and all it represents.
  5. My cat, and the people who I know love me.
  6. Finally living closer to my Aunt, and thus being able to share Thanksgiving with my only non-insane relative.
  7. Having the courage, finally, to apply to graduate school.
  8. Books. They are really so wonderful.
  9. Having had the privilege of seeing the exquisite collections of several museums worldwide.
  10. Being able to ride the elevator without panicking.

I could probably think of more, if I tried.

3

I’m thankful for:

being alive this morning
having no major health problems
a good, secure job that I like
good friends
a nice apartment
the good health of my loved ones
my leisure time and the expendable income to take classes and pursue hobbies
modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, a heating system, AC, garbage disposal, etc.
good books, music, and movies
tasty affordable food
the great teachers I’ve had
a good education
this cool city I live in
culture
art
dancing

4

I’m thankful for:

  1. My sweet, kind, intelligent, funny, beautiful children.
  2. Forgiveness, support and communication in our families.
  3. My husband.
  4. That we’re all (relatively) healthy.
  5. My patience, that I have more of it (because I desperately NEED it).
  6. Our house.
  7. My husband’s job.
  8. My girlfriends! Hallejuleah!
  9. That Obama was elected.
  10. That prayer works pretty well for me.
  11. That I’ve done more art this year.
  12. My new therapist.
5

I am thankful:

  1. that I don’t know how good I have it
  2. that I was able to find the strength for a divorce
  3. for Erin

lotsa other things.

6

I am thankful for-

  1. My sobriety- going on 18 years, and none of the stuff below would exist without it.

  2. My little tribe of husband, kids, some family and a few close friends.

  3. The love and companionship of great dogs.

  4. Terry

  5. Being embarrassingly blessed in almost every are of my life.

  6. Being overpaid for what I do, and having the freedom to make my life work the way it needs to, every day.

:cool:

7

I am thankful for:

  1. Living in the most incredible city in the world.
  2. My wonderful boyfriend.
  3. Having found a great job despite the economic situation as of late.
  4. My kitties.
  5. The dope.
  6. Many other things I am forgetting to list here.
8

I am thankful for:

  1. My soon-to-be husband, Brad, who makes every day so much better
  2. My son, and his soon-to-be step brother and sisters
  3. My job and my boss; I am very fond of both
  4. My parents, who have seen me through so much and still choose to speak to me.
  5. My car
  6. The Debt Relief Act (thank you, Bush)
  7. Being capable of being thankful
    and the list goes on and on…
9

I’m thankful :

  1. For my wonderful loving boyfriend, and his family who have been so good to me and accepted me as family, making my transplantation from Montreal a little easier.

  2. For my family back home in Montreal, who are accepting and encouraging and who supported my choice to move here.

  3. For the friends I’ve made here, in “real life” or online or both, who’ve been a source of advice and support.

  4. That the car repairs were less expensive than I thought, so it’s ok that I was refused a car loan, I can still drive this one a little longer.

  5. That my cat’s broken hip isn’t hurting him so much that I need to consider surgery - he’s recovering just fine on his own.

  6. That I found a good therapist - expensive, but good. I’m also thankful that I have the desire to get better.

  7. For my career and my job, because I’m lucky enough to be in a field where I will always be able to find work, as crappy as the economy may get.

There’s lots more, but in general I’m thankful that I’m as lucky as I am to have all that I have.

10

So many things, but most especially…

  1. My wife and three wonderful sons
  2. My family and friends, near and far
  3. My job, with its daily opportunities to see that justice is done
  4. My country, state and city
  5. The President-elect of the United States
  6. The Dope
  7. My good health
11

Normally of a phlegmatic disposition, I have been led to stress out lately due to the current economic climate combined with the fragile state of my company’s financial health. So I am glad to reflect on these things:

My relative good health (for a man my age) and the excellent prospects for retaining it
My job, which I still have
My wonderful partner of 16+ years
Our house, which we still “have” (mostly the bank, but whatever)
The relative good luck I have had so far in my life to have all of the above
Friends, the few that I have
Living in interesting times (some call that a curse, but at least it’s never dull)
Roddy

12

Having a job right now. A job with good benefits, one that makes me feel like I have some purpose and role in life.

Good physical health.

Having a family that understands, doesn’t bug me or stresses me out or makes demands on me. And when I talk to them, they entertain and make me feel better about things.

My sweet, well-behaved cats.

My brain. Not the emotional part or the part that controls my motor functioning. I’m thankful for these, but they’re on double secret probation for reasons they both know. But the cognitive part has been doing a killer job. Just a few minutes ago it helped me fix my gas heater. I don’t have to be cold anymore! And all year it’s helped me figure out how to do all kinds of wonderful statistical analyses–thereby giving me both job security as well as a major sense of accomplishment. Occassionally it comes up with screwy ideas and it’s not as organized as it could be, but I think I’m finally understanding why people say I’m smart. They aren’t just blowing smoke. I just hope we can keep it like this.

13

  • My partner of 15 years for too many reasons to count. I swear that I can’ t think of a single non-trivial thing that he does that annoys me or that I would want to change. He tells me the truth when I ask him if something looks OK when I try it on. He can design, build, troubleshoot and fix everything we’ve ever encountered and has a building full of tools to do it with. I’ve never heard him raise his voice other than loud curses when he hurts himself and I’ve never had one reason not to trust him. I don’t know how I ever got this lucky because I am nowhere near as easy to get along with.

  • Being able to turn our funky old fixer upper in the woods into a still funky old house but with no structural or cosmetic damage, no curious and scary large things hidden in the murk of the pool, no decks and fences falling down and plumbing and electrical that is all up to code. The masses of weeds and brush surrounding the house are now gardens and the best part is that thanks to my partner’s skills we didn’t spend a cent on labor. He did the skilled work and I did all of the gruntwork.

  • Getting to watch two kittens from a feral mom being born right next to me last spring and seeing how they developed from day to day. Her battle between her instincts and her need for a safe dry place to keep them was fascinating to watch and they’re almost completely socialized with me now. I’m not so thankful for what it cost to spay and neuter the whole bunch and get their shots. I’m also grateful that I have 4 cats and a dog that all love each other and that none of the cats need a litter box.

  • Having the unbelievable luck to suddenly find out that I could retire 6 years (at best) before I thought I could as long as I could handle cutting my spending way back. I’m still pinching myself to believe this one.

  • Lots of friends and family members, some who I love and some that I’m just stuck with but loving them anyway is part of the deal. I’m thankful for coming across that thread about Sampiro and his family last night and getting to laugh until it hurt.

14

  1. My pets, past, present and future. I cannot imagine life without animals in it.

  2. My friends, scattered out across the country as they are.

  3. OK… this is an odd one to everyone but me, but I don’t care… Ace Young. Season 5 contestant on American Idol. I have become friends with him over the past 3 years, and he is like a guardian angel in my life. He makes me laugh and has kept me from suicide. He will always be special to me.

  4. My artistic talents, such as they are. I write, I draw and paint. I may not be good, but I have fun and am never bored.

  5. My job. I finally have a decent paying job with good benefits that I enjoy, and I love the people I work with.

  6. FINALLY getting to travel a little bit! I recently got to see NYC for the first time!

  7. Good music. Food for the soul.

Probably many other things, but this is the top of my list…