Giving Thanks

Everywhere I look this month there are people giving daily thanks.  Its an old tradition made new and sparked by social networking, and the participation seems to build each year.

I get it, November is the month for the American holiday of Thanksgiving.  Its that time of year when we all reflect on all the things in our life that we seemingly take for granted the rest of the year.  Unfortunately, because of the social pressure to have something significant to express each day, most of the platitudes I  see have become precisely that....platitudes.  They are the same from person to person and post to post, and I lose interest.  Not that I don't care about your thanks, but I prefer to see genuine and personal efforts put into them.  We are all grateful for our family, our health, our jobs, etc... What I would love to see are those deeper more profound things that have impacted your life this year.  If this is the direction you take in expressing your thankfulness, then each year will be unique and different, the idea being that the lessons you learned and experienced this year will take you to new places next year.  Following this formula you may not have something to say each day.....and guess what,  that's o.k..  For me, it is quality over quantity, substance over fluff.


I am a very grateful person, but I try very hard not to take for granted, ever,  those people in my life that I cherish. Because of this, I tell them throughout the year how thankful I am for them.  If I were to follow the social leads demonstrated, I could say something like "I'm thankful for my friends", which in itself is very general and indeterminate.  It is broad-scoped and may help to avoid leaving anyone out or hurting any feelings, but because I say it regularly and my friends know how valued they are to me, I know and trust that none of them will be offended if lay tribute to only one. Thus, for 2012 I would say, I am thankful for my new friend Rustie who makes me smile and taught me never to judge a book by its cover or take the word of others over my own experience and judgement. Rustie is a beautiful woman with a kind heart and I enjoy the time I spend with her. She truly makes me smile.

I could say, "I am grateful for my job". But again, this is very generic and doesn't really reflect my life specifically.  Instead I will say, I am thankful for job I have found with The Oregonian. After a tumultuous 2011 which included a layoff from my job of 5 1/2 years, a misfire with a Jr. Hockey League (boy I really didn't know what I was getting myself into with that one), and several short term contract positions, I landed long term with the Oregonian on December 28th 2011 and have spent the entirety of 2012 with a great team.  The Newspaper industry and the world view of media in general is ever changing, but the Oregonian changes with it, and that provides them with a resurgence of new life at every turn. I am thankful for the faith they have in me and their willingness and patience to teach me new things as I grow with them each day.

Other generic thanks typically go out to health and family too. Let me simply say I am thankful that I am always able to keep an open mind and an open heart and that I never close a door when it comes to people.   I am thankful that I have found my inner extrovert and that I courageously reach out, even at the risk of rejection, because sometimes it pays off and an old relationship becomes new and exciting. I am thankful for a partner who understands my insecurities and my independence, and who loves me to the moon and back. This year he supported my fascinations with wine, cooking, and hats and he never snarked. I am thankful for two boys who have grown into young men and who I know will change the world even if its only their small corner of the world, for the better. This year, after a year of being away, my Wyatt came home with a profound appreciation and love for the home I give him and the love of his mom. This year Brandon got his first real job and began his transition to being an independent adult. I am thankful that in spite of the challenges they faced of a broken home, and strained and sometimes absent relationship with their father, that they are strong and focused on the kind of men they want to be, the families they will have, and the love they will express to their wives. They have taken the examples they have witnessed and designed their vision of what to do and what not to do.

Lastly I am thankful for the voice I have found through my words and my writing. I know its sounds silly, and simplistic, but  this blog was a leap of faith and courage for me.  I don't share my mind with but a few people within my very small and tightly wound inner circle, and this blog opened me up to anyone who chooses to read it.  It is a sign of trust and vulnerability, but also a huge growth opportunity.  I gain confidence and comfort knowing I'm not alone in my crazy little world and that I am understood by more people than I would ever have dreamed.

So in all, I think there are 5 major Thankfuls for me (in no specific order...Rustie, The Oregonian, Jeff, Brandon & Wyatt, and my Blog) , I could not fill a month of daily platitudes without going straight up generic, so I'll reserve my Thanksgiving thankfuls to a few but never forget to say a thousand thankfuls throughout the year.