Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is one of the nicest of holidays. There's no religion involved, there's no gift giving, just gatherings of friends and family. (well, OK, the holiday does have an ominous beginning...honoring the coming of the white folks to the US is not exactly a happy moment for Native Americans. Sigh).

It's all too easy to focus on what we don't have and easy to forget what we do have. Thanksgiving is a good moment to think about the good stuff. Here's my Giving Thanks list for this year:

- I'm thankful for my current job. It's taken a few months, but I'm now starting to feel like I have a clue. I'm getting over the feeling of being new and stupid and moving into a place of knowledge. From a technical learning standpoint -- this week was a very good one. Now that I'm feeling a bit more secure from a knowledge point of view, I can move on to the interpersonal part of the experience.

- I'm thankful for all the people who were very supportive when I went through some tough times at the beginning of the year. Although I am no longer in touch with some of these people, I appreciate that they were there when I needed them. Some of us have moved on, but the memories are comforting.

- I'm thankful for the glass studio that I can go to for artistic endeavors. OK, I don't consider myself an artist...it's a hobby. But, during the tough times, spending time at the glass studio was a form of salvation. Although there are times when I get frustrated at my lack of progress, when I have a good night there (like this week), I smile about it for the rest of the week.

- I'm thankful that, even though I won't be with family this year, several people invited me to join in their gatherings. Nice to know that people care enough to be concerned about where I would be on this day.

- I'm thankful that, at the moment, I'm financially secure. My heart goes out to family members who are struggling with unemployment and the fear of running out of funds. I've been there and know how horrible that feels. I've been more conscious of my own spending and trying hard to be less wasteful.

- I'm thankful that I still have a few, loyal readers for this blog :-) You know who you are. Thank you. It's nice to know that my words are not just echoing in the great Interweb abyss.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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