A few things off a very long list:
- That I was born and grew up into an era where it is possible to meet people who live hundreds or thousands of miles away via the internetting machine. I've met lots of people who I consider among my closest friends this way, including my very best friend, whose mother's house I'm going to for Thanksgiving dinner later today.
- That we were able to come to California to be closer to where we want to ultimately be living, and have a roof over our heads during the jesus-we-need-some-fuckin-jobs-up-in-here period.
- That, speaking of which, I had something resembling a job interview yesterday and came away with the most confidence I've had in months that I'm actually going to get work and that the years I spent in school learnin' to art it up weren't wasted.
- That neither of our cats has terminal renal lymphoma this holiday season. Nice change from last year.
- That, even though my brother is spending his T-Day in Afghanistan this year, he's as safe and happy as it's possible to be over there (it's not really what you'd call a Happy Place, as you may have heard).
- And, in that vein, I am thankful for all those who are serving their country or community, from those military folks who are, among other things, keeping my brother and sister-in-law safe while they are in Afghanistan, all the way down to the firefighters and police here in sleepy small-town northern California.
- That my parents, after working hard all their lives, are now only about a month away from retiring and spending their days driving around the country in their RV with their dog, solving mysteries. They've earned it.
- Clean, easily accessible drinking water. Don't take it for granted. Millions of people around the world can't just turn a knob in their kitchen or bathroom and get drinking/cooking/washing water. If you're looking for a worthy charity to donate to this holiday season, you could do worse than
water.org.