Thanksgiving

Family and friends were over, the weather was beautiful. The food was traditional but still every bit a feast. Fun, family, feasting. Fabulous.

While the meal was beginning we went around the table and each said at least three things we were thankful for in our lives.

Mine were one, being thankful that I am still alive. An intestinal disease that has given me much trouble through the years, working in a war zone and having more than a few potentially dangerous hobbies. If just a few things had changed here or there through life well, let's just say I really do have reason to be thankful to be alive at this time.

Secondly I am thankful for the times I have been able to use my talents to help others or myself. Whether it is giving the Heimlich maneuver to a choking child in a restaurant, speaking in a foreign language, providing good care to patients, teaching new skills to people or just listening and understanding. While not a comprehensive list, you get the idea. If you have a talent you've developed it really is satisfying to use, helping someone else.

Third I'm thankful for the time and place I live in. Living in a modern first world Western country allows me to have a college degree, choose my own religion and also practice it, receive medical care that keeps me alive, have an income that then allows me to live far above the subsistence level. All these things give me great enjoyment in life and just make it pleasant. I know what life is like for other, just simply in a change in geography.

What are you thankful for?