In accordance with my rich, pilgrim heritage, I’ve tried to make it a point to set aside a bit of time around the Thanksgiving holiday to really think about what I, myself, am thankful for from year to year. Sometimes the list is hilarious, as I do try to be entertaining to at least a few people ever now and again; sometimes the list is insightful and leads me to understand things about myself that I might not have even realized in the past. Well, this year I’m trying to kill two birds with one stone – a figure of speech probably not all that popular with turkeys this time of year – as I put together the following list.
Some are funny, some are serious, and some I’m probably going to get e-mails about, but regardless – I’m thankful for all of them the same…
I’m thankful that Mother Nature decided to take some time off and play fairly nice with us southern states in 2007 by barely even acknowledging hurricane season this year! Sure, it resulted in a few less crazy things for me to write about in my humor column, but there’s something about running around town looking for plywood to board up the windows at 3:00am that I think I can do without…
I’m thankful for all of the chefs that dared to incorporate pumpkin into dishes beyond the pie. I’m not so much thankful for all of the pounds that I’m going to have to work off after binging on pumpkin donuts and pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin eggnog and pumpkin pancakes and pretty much pumpkin everything for the next six weeks, but hey, it’s ultimately a small price to pay for deliciousness!
I’m thankful to be engaged to the love of my life and to think that less than a year from now, she’ll officially be stuck with me for the rest of our lives! It’s good to know that the search is finally over, and even better to realize that I didn’t have to sacrifice any of the things that make up who I am in order to find that special someone.
I’m thankful to live in a part of the country that will still be 80 degrees outside on Thanksgiving Day. While we may not get that iconic snow covering our landscapes and rooftops to help emphasize that Christmas-y feel, I can still see it on TV and that’s good enough for me!
I’m thankful for all of the frogs that we’ve seen around our new home, stuck to nearly every surface outside, including every single window the house has. I appreciate these particular frogs not only because frogs are cool, but more importantly because unlike the hoards of amphibians from our last home, these ones don’t croak into the wee hours of the night!
I’m thankful for the creative wonderland that is Walt Disney World, a place that never ceases to inspire me, and for all of the people responsible for sharing their very special brand of magic with the dreamers of the world. I’ll save further elaboration for this month’s edition of My Time with the Mouse, appropriately enough entitled Being Thankful for The Mouse…, but a mention in this column just had to be made because I seem to find myself loving that place and all of the memories that I’ve created there more and more each year…
I’m thankful that we don’t have a military draft because sadly it would mean that I would have a big decision to make. And that doesn’t make me a terrorist or anti-American, it just a member of the increasing population that believes that fighting for our freedom and what’s taking place over in Iraq are two very different things.
And while we’re on the topic, let me also just get out of the way that I’m thankful that next year we’ll be electing a new president and bidding a due to the blundering President Bush. I understand that there will still be a lot of corrupt politicians in office trying to steer us blindly down the road towards giving up all of our freedoms in the name of fighting terror, but ultimately I still believe that taking out the big fish at the top ought to be a good start.
Now you can be thankful in knowing that that will be the last political reference in this particular column! Just had to get some things off my chest … whew!
I’m thankful that my fiancée and I were able to find a new house this fall that not only fits into our budget quite nicely, but also gives us more room to grow and allows us to feel like we’re moving up in the world by finally leaving our apartment behind. Mind you, the transition itself was a major pain in the ass, but then again I guess I should also be thankful for all of the new material that I had to write about because of said transition!
I’m thankful that we still have people left in this world who are willing to challenge the majority when they’re in the wrong, even if it means alienating themselves or hurting a few egos along the way.
I’m thankful that The Simpsons Movie did so incredibly awesome this summer because not only did the film rock, but it also resulted in my being able to spend one small part of an afternoon shopping in an actual Kwik-E-Mart – a dream come true for any diehard fan! Not to mention that in addition to the DVD release next month, we’re also getting a new video game based on the epic series – sweetness, indeed.
Of course, I’m always thankful for friends and family, for without their love and support who knows where I’d have ended up in this life. I’m particularly thankful for my fiancée’s family, who has gone to great lengths to welcome me with open arms and make me feel like so much more than just some guy who happens to fancy their daughter.
And finally, I’m most certainly thankful for everyone who takes a little bit of their time to read Against the Grain each week. We may not always share the same opinions about the often times controversial topics that I write about here, but I’m a strong believer that even if your only success is to get people thinking for themselves about the issues that you’re passionate about, that’s still a step in the right direction.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend, and don’t forget to have an extra slice of pumpkin pie while it’s still in season. Viva pumpkin!!!
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