You’ve probably already read hundreds of posts with lists of things people are thankful for. You’ve smiled, shook your head in agreement, and maybe even sighed.
Then you throw in all the foodie blogs and Pinterest pins. Of course, each one is displaying and encouraging ridiculously complicated recipes for your holiday meal. Certainly, these Thanksgiving delicacies are laid out on picturesque tables with cute decorations.
By this point, you are a little sick of all this sweetness.
Come on. Admit it.
Look, I like Thanksgiving. Love it actually. It’s my favorite American Holiday. I’ve written that post.
So this year, I’ve compiled five things that appear on no one else’s list of gratitude.
FIVE THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR
MULTI ROOM HOMES AND ELECTRONICS: My children fight. All the time!! They are at each other’s throats 24/7. 99% of these fights are over complete nonsense. If one has something, the other wants it. They tell on each other, tease each other, and hit each other. Know what I mean? Thought so.
And that’s where electronics and multiple rooms in our house comes in handy. You come into our house practically any evening and you will find SJ watching television in the master bedroom and BR on the computer in the den. They are entertained and peace reigns in my home.
For this, I am oh so thankful.
SNORING WIFE: Really. I know once told you how her Three Stooges like snoring keeps me awake and how I sort of kind of try to suffocate her.
But I have seen the light.
If there was an Olympic Sport for falling asleep, my wife would win. The light goes out – or not, she turns over, she is asleep and she is snoring. It pretty much happens in the same .3 seconds it took you to read the last three seconds.
She is clearly exhausted after all she does at work and home. The fact that she falls asleep so quickly gives her the strength to do the routine all over the next day – or a few hours later, depending on the night.
For this I am truly thankful.
THE THUMP THUMP OF HEAVY FEET: SJ is one loud boy. I know I’ve mentioned this before. Rather than get annoyed – okay I do that plenty of times, I am striving to see the good.
SJ believes the day starts at 6:00. Every day! Now, I am out of the house by that time during the school week. Therefore, I usually miss him except for three or so mornings a week when he goes to the bathroom (this is not a complaint. Remember this post is about being thankful).
Anyway, SJ plays the role of human wakeup call. Who needs a stinkin alarm clock? Not I my Lord. No, I have the thump thump of my 7 year old’s feet to wake me up. Wonderful – ain’t it?
Indeed, this is something to be grateful for.
THE MONTHLY ELECTRIC BILL: Remember I told you last summer about how my electric bill ate my budget? Well, now I see that threat makes me useful.
Confused? Don’t be. I am here to explain.
See in my house an empty room does not equal a dark room. Oh no, the concept of turning off lights when leaving a room does not seem to exist. On top of that, the necessity of closing the front door seems to have evaded my family members.
But not me. In fact all this leaving on of lights and open doors gives me a purpose. You see I spend precious moments going around the house and shutting off lights and closing doors. These actions give me a purpose.
And I feel useful and I am thankful for that!
JUNK MAIL: I’ve told you about my love decluttering. That hasn’t changed. If anything it has grown.
You see when I got through mounds of snail mail and bundles of email. I am not annoyed for having to push delete. Instead I feel a sense of accomplishment. I might have gotten nothing done that day of significance. However, if I am getting rid of mail, well then I am productive.
For this nearly meaningless act, I am thankful.
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Are you with me? Aren’t these things to truly be grateful for?
I love this post Larry! Good for you to see the glass half full today!
Now, here comes the shocker: we don’t have Thanksgiving in Greece!
I think the turkey ought to migrate there.
Glad you liked the post. I do love sarcasm.
Oh we do have turkey, but for Christmas. I do like the idea behind it though (thanksgiving that is, not turkey)
It’s a fun holiday. Food, football, and family. And parades. Love it!
You had me at “food”!
My kind of chick!
Great post! Way to be positive. I’d say some of them are good to be thankful for. I don’t know about all of them. 😉
I’m trying. Which are you with me on>
Hi Larry, I’m thankful we don’t have a thanksgiving here in Oz. Two huge feasts in two months is a bit hard to take, besides I think our first settler’s, convicts and soldiers weren’t overly grateful for being sent to the bottom of the world.
Cheers
Laurie.
Yeah, they probably weren’t. I think the Native Americans weren’t so happy to see the Europeans either. Yet, that’s the tradition and we end up with a nice holiday out of it. Btw, there are other elements regarding the tradition.
Very nice and positive post, Larry. I enjoyed reading it!! 🙂
Glad you did.
What the hell – even I can go positive sometimes.
No thanksgiving in Holland either, love the post though 🙂
Glad you liked it.
I think this is one holiday that you should consider adopting.
OK, good. I thought I was the only one who found the “month of thankful” posts to be rather treacly. Not that I’m not also thankful for all the same things – children, husband, home, etc. But reading about your snoring wife is much more entertaining.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, my friend. And a very Happy Hanukkah!
I did enjoy the holiday – particularly the food. I hope you can say the same.
Glad you share my twisted sense of thanks.
I’m thankful for a house with two levels. Whenever the kids start stomping around like dinosaurs, we send them downstairs. Praise be!
That sounds wise to me.
LOVE it … and there’s nothing more I could add to your list.
Hope you had a good Turkey Day and enjoyed eating WAY too much 🙂
Cool. Thanks.
The food was awesome!
Think of the people your family keeps employed by using all that electricity! You are certainly doing your part. 🙂
Funny. I’d like to employ them in other ways. Maybe, they could paint the outside of my house.