Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wait, It's Thanksgiving? Already?

Sweet dancing monkeys on a stick! It’s Thanksgiving!

Who knew?

This semester has flown by so quickly and so busily that I’ve completely lost track of the passage of time. It’s just been me and the alligators around this swamp, and while I’m sure that eventually the swamp will get drained I am equally sure that I will have no conscious memory of the process. One alligator at a time, children, one alligator at a time.

Nevertheless, I do feel a need to be thankful. There are many things in my life to be thankful for.

I have my health and a decent, if precarious, career doing what I want to do.

I am happily married to a woman I love, and we have the two most wonderful children in the world. Your children? A close runner up, but nice try! *

I am materially comfortable. I’m a long way from the 1%, but my needs are met, and my reasonable wants are too. I do not need to make the kinds of hard choices that so many others have to make every day.

I have good friends, a long list of experiences to remember, broadband internet and a man-cave full of books.

Life is good.

We aren’t planning on doing much of anything today – our big family get-together will be Saturday, since that’s when people can gather. Holidays happen when you’ve got time, and if that means a few days one way or another from the official calendar day, then so be it.

Instead I will spend most of the day typing, in preparation for next week’s classes. We’ll make our own small version of Thanksgiving dinner, just for the four of us. There might even be breaks to watch large men chase after a small ball on television, if I’m lucky.

And I am lucky.

That’s sort of the point of today, to remember that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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*Your mileage may vary.

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