Giving Thanks

Rumor has it that today is some sort of day to "give thanks" for whatever it is one may be...well, thankful for. I suppose you could call it "Give Thanks Day" or "I'm Thankful Day" or "Thanksgiving Day" or something. Not being one to be different or stand out from the pack, I suppose I will offer some thoughts on what I am thankful for this year.



I am thankful that my relationship with my two beautiful daughters, Erica and Shaena, has really improved over the last year. As they grow older they seem to be questioning some of what their mother and grandmother spew if not openly at least subconciously. I hope it continues to get better.

I am thankful that our presidential campaign season is becoming longer and longer. It gives us more time to carefully evaluate the candidates which is what we do in this country. We don't vote based on bad rumors we heard. We don't vote based on who is the best looking. We don't vote based on a coin flip. Nope, we take democracy seriously in our great nation. I'm hoping that by the next cycle, the campaign season will be at least as long as the President's term of office. Four years to get to know the candidates seems about right. And, then the one we have rigorously chosen can serve us for four years. I like the symmetry.

I am thankful for the MS study I am participating in. I get $4000 worth of free drugs every month and, really, who isn't thankful for free drugs? Hmmmm...maybe the government should hand out free drugs ala Brave New World. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could all just get high when we wanted?

I'm thankful that we are finally accepting torture in this country. I've long said that we do not do enough to degrade and harm people foolish enough to become suspects of a crime. "If you can't handle the torture, don't be a suspect," I say. I look forward to the day we've expanded it so that we don't just torture people with brown skin and a funny religion. Any person - man or woman, child or adult, white or not-so-white, right religion or wrong religion - deserves the sweet pangs of stress positions, simulated drowning, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, and solitary confinement if they don't know how to stay on the right side of the law. It's your own fault you became a suspect, Mr. Torture-Hurts-Cry-Baby-Waaah.

I am thankful that my MS progression is very slow and I am managing very well. Besides a few minor symptoms, I feel great and would not know I had the disease if I hadn't seen the MRIs of my brain.

I am thankful that my siblings are finally starting to realize how outdated the concept of "family" is. They are throwing off the trappings of this archaic institution and blazing a new trail of interpersonal relationships. Where this trail leads, who knows? It is exciting to see, though. Turn out for the family Thanksgiving meal was at a low this year. I'm confident that with their commitment to their new path, it will be even lower next year.

I am thankful for the new position I got at the hospital last December. It has been an enjoyable challenge and allowed me to flex some of my mental muscles that I didn't always get to use as a security officer. I also have to give kudos to my new coworkers. They have all been wonderful, but two especially have made a big impact on my life lately. Linda, my boss, is without a doubt the best supervisor I have ever had. She is willing to stand back and let me do my job and she supports me whether it is from angry people trying to blame me for something or from somebody trying to pawn off more work on me. Linda is also great about pushing me to do the best I can. She likes to call them "opportunities." I have very much enjoyed working for her. The other person is Brenda. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at St. V's. She has been a helping hand, a confidant, a matchmaker, a jokester, a friend, and in many ways a second mom. She helps me maintain my sanity and I can't be thankful enough to her.

I am thankful for the entitlement culture we have developed in America. Tyler Durden was wrong. We are all beautiful and unique snowflakes and we deserve to be treated as such. It gets to be a little tricky when more than one unique snowflake is in the same room (the temperature goes up threatening to melt both), but we're all special. I'm sure we can figure out a way to make it work. Just remember I am the most beautiful snowflake and you and I will get along fine.

I am thankful for my friends, especially Jeromy. Our friendship goes back nearly twenty years now and is full of wonderful memories. I feel blessed to have such a kindred spirit in my life.

I am thankful for blame-shifting. It is so much easier getting through life when you know that every time something goes wrong, you can just point your finger at someone else. Whoever came up with the idea of personal responsibility obviously did not realize what a pain it is. I bet if that person knew about blame-shifting, they would have dropped responsibility like a diseased monkey.

I am thankful for the fact that my mother has received a temporary stay of execution on the house and that she may be able to keep it. It is one of her dreams and the thought of losing it has caused her much grief. We may still have to sell, but she feels better that we are fighting it and if we have to sell now, it will be on her terms, not my brother's.

I could go on, but I'm sure someone will give thanks if I finally just shut the hell up now. Besides, now that Give-Thanks Day is almost over, I need to start preparing for the next holiday. Word on the street is that this one involves a visit from some fat man in a red suit with a sack of goods. Sounds weird to me. Why can't we just debase before this cool looking symbol I've seen? It's a giant "S" with two vertical slashes through it. I like that much better and it seems more suited to me as a beautiful and unique snowflake.