I recently asked some people to explain what non-material things--besides family, friends, home and technology--they were thankful for. Here's mine:
--A job I like. (Most people I know hate their jobs. I love mine. Not every day is a fairy tale, but I love the job overall.)
--A good career, with good benefits. (I get lots of sinus infections--as if that was my career instead.)
--My numerous interests. (Writing; literature; baseball; baseball cards; the writing industry; short story and novel reading [and writing]; antique buying and dealing; dealing baseball cards [I'm also a part-time picker]; football; walking; hiking; biking; movies...) You get the idea. I think boredom is the worst kind of hell.
--My abundance of energy. (Until lately, I could subsist quite well on 4-6 hours of sleep per night.)
--My "intelligence." (Real or imagined.)
--My imagination. (Which can often get out of control, and which is often not a gift.)
--My health. (I used to be a lot worse off, and my sinuses--as terrible as they are--used to be much worse.)
--My sense of humor. (Again, real or imagined. If I'm only half as funny as I think I am, then I'm still hilarious.)
--My proximity to mountains, beaches, rivers, hiking and biking trails, and big cities.
--My local sports teams. (I've got the Patriots and Red Sox. True, the Sox finished last the past two years, but even then they're entertaining. And they've still got 3 World Championships in the past eleven years, with a few other post-season appearances thrown in. Plus I've got Fenway.)
--Great neighbors. (Bad neighbors can be nightmares.)
--Heat, electric and an affordable education. (Most people in the world don't have any of those.)
AND A HEAD'S UP TO CHRIS AND JAY AND TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO MADE THIS THANKSGIVING STRESS-FREE AND WONDERFUL. YOU'RE THE BEST!!!
WHAT'RE YOU THANKFUL FOR? (It's okay to comment even if it's not Thanksgiving anymore.)