My Attitude is Gratitude; what are you Thankful for?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

As some here know I've been troubled and worried recently.  So with Thanksgiving coming up I thought I'd step aside from that and share a list of things that I'm Grateful for.  Sorry for the commercial-ish aspects of some of this, it's off the cuff and what's truly on my mind

 

1) My family.  They love me.  I love them.  They mean more than anything to me.  I've been married 38.5 years and I can honestly say it just doesn't seem like a very long time.  Looking forward to what the next 38 years bring.

2) Kid.  When we make little people who have to develop themselves, parents do their best but there's always an element of Forrest Gump's box of chocolates (Never Know when You're Gonna Get a Nut). Or someone whose life gets derailed maybe by 1-2 bad decisions.  😢 So far, good kid.  Level-headed, hard working, kind, a person of integrity that friends can trust and rely on. Makes me proud every day.  Very grateful.  Knock wood.

3) Dog.  There's nothing like taking a dog for a walk and letting their utter enthusiasm for the simplest things fill you.  So much to see!  So many smells!  Squirrels!  Deer!  Groundhogs!  Birds!  People who can't wait to pet me!  The world is a wonderful place through a dog's eyes.  She's also luxurious to pet.  That's really the only word - luxurious.

4) Hiking clothes.  Finally bought myself hiking duds from Duluth Trading.  Worth every penny.  Comfortable, practical, flexible, fit perfectly.

5) My Matador pack that was a Christmas gift from the fam last year.  It's a small company that deserves props. Amazingly cool product.   It compresses into a tiny little 5x3 bag, it unfolds to a sizeable 24L daypack, it only weighs 6.5 oz, and.... it's waterproof so you don't have to pack everything in waterproof bags to avoid having your sweater and stuff get soaked if it rains.  Perfect for travel, too.  If you love someone who would like it, put it on your Christmas list and help the Little Guy company out.

6) Don Robinson.  Inventor of the stain remover OFF and lifelong minimalist before it was trendy, he used his money to purchase some of the most gorgeous Ozarks property in the Lebarque Creek watershed  - and in 2012 donated it to become a State Park.  It's a beautiful beautiful place.

7) Everyone who stigmatizes Missouri as Flyover Country.  You all just keep flying on over and keep us uncrowded here.  Grateful to you!

8 ) a Beautiful sunny 70 degree day in mid-November.  Who could NOT be grateful for that?
9) Good masks.  My favorite for hiking is a Suay sew shop pattern made for me by a friend.  It hangs easily around my neck and can be pulled up into place for a tight fit quickly when we encounter fellow wayfarers.

10) Enough.  We're not wealthy with all the stress that can bring; we're not poor with the greater stress that can bring. We have enough.  Very grateful for that.

 

How about you?  What are you Thankful for?

 

 

[Gugny]

1) My family.  Although I'm not super close with my bro and sis, we do still talk and would do anything for each other.  I'm glad to be very, very close to both of my parents and I feel very lucky to still have them both.

 

2) My son.  Since the day he was born, nearly 18 years ago, being his dad has been what I love most about my life every single day.

 

3) My job.  I don't love it.  Most days I don't even like it.  But with the number of people struggling right now in our country, I am grateful to be employed.

 

4) My friends.  I keep a small circle.  I'm still in contact with the same 7 guys I was close to in high school and we are always there when one of us is in need.  I'm also grateful for the friends I've made right here on TBD, including a few whose families I've met and houses I've stayed in.  And others from here who I keep in touch with via text or social media, whom I am lucky to consider friends, too.

 

5) TBD.  Some would say I spend too much time here.  I'd tell them to ***** off.  I'm here so much because I enjoy it and there are lots of genuinely decent people with whom I enjoy "hanging out," every day.

 

6) Free Internet porn.  Don't judge me.  At least I have the balls to admit it!

 

7) Music.  Whether it improves my mood, gets me thinking or gets me moving - it always does something.  Good for the soul.

[WhoTom]

I'm grateful for:

• Parents who raised me well, instilling in me a sense of equality, generosity, and work ethic.
   
• Older siblings who are still nice to me even though I was probably a PITA as a kid.
   
• A wife who's still my girlfriend, in all the right ways. I used to say she's the coolest chick I know, but I now realize she's the coolest person I know.
   
• A son who has the same sense of fairness and charity that my parents imparted to me. (We're not quite there with the work ethic thing, but he's making progress.) He also has a good sense of humor, undoubtedly due to all the dad jokes I make.
   
• Great friends who not only put up with my weirdness, they seem to appreciate it. (And the feeling is mutual.)
   
• Two friendly dogs who always seem to know when I need dog therapy.
   
• Music that feeds my soul.
   
• A meaningful career in which I learn something interesting every day and have a fair amount of autonomy over what I do.
   
• Health and financial stability. Far too many people can't say that right now.
   

And on the lighter side:

• I'm thankful for a franchise QB wearing a Bills uniform. Seriously.
   
• And last but not least, I'm grateful for roughly two-thirds of the posters on TBD. ✌️

 

 

[RaoulDuke79]

My friends and family are about the only things keeping me going right now. I have what most would consider a great job, and it probably is, but I really don't want to be there most days. The world is a mess and I'm miserable. Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I wish I was a bear and could hibernate for a while. 

[Augie]

3 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

My friends and family are about the only things keeping me going right now. I have what most would consider a great job, and it probably is, but I really don't want to be there most days. The world is a mess and I'm miserable. Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I wish I was a bear and could hibernate for a while. 

 

Hang in there, the one thing we know for sure is change is coming. Always. I’ve just finished the worst decade of my life, and still it’s far better than some people’s lives, and in many ways, things are looking up. I’m grateful for what we have, which is ample by many people’s standards, and have improved my ability to focus more on what we/I have, and focus less on what we/I do NOT have. 

 

I’m grateful for my family. My wife is the best person I’ve ever known. She does the right things, and for the right reasons. Our son is amazing. He’s a smart, hard working, fine young man with a good sense of humor. He’s his mother’s son, and that’s a very good thing. Before his new bride was walked down the aisle recently, her father said to her “you got a good one”. He was right. Along those lines, our son married a fabulous young lady who makes him very happy. She’s from a great family, we LOVE her, and we are indescribably happy that he found her to spend his life with. 

 

My mom hits 93 years old in a few days, and we are grateful to have her in remarkably good physical and mental health (though the virus stuff is getting to her). My sister is in town from Wisconsin for the birthday, and it was great to spend so much of this week with them. 

 

We are not wealthy, but we don’t have to worry about paying the bills or providing for young kids. I know that’s a real thing every year, and especially THIS year. I feel for those in need, and we do what we can. 

 

I’m grateful for my dogs! Our 11 year old is still pretty healthy, and has gotten us thru so much we got her a little buddy, now 9 weeks. She’s having the time of her life and you can see her trying to train the little one. She is very deliberate in showing her what to do. It’s fun to watch, and she loves having a playmate. We got a dog for our dog, and she loves it. 

 

Finally, I’m also grateful for this community so I can get my Bills fix while so far from Buffalo.  GO BILLS! 

 

 

 

.

 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by Augie

[Virgil]

5 hours ago, Gugny said:

1) My family.  Although I'm not super close with my bro and sis, we do still talk and would do anything for each other.  I'm glad to be very, very close to both of my parents and I feel very lucky to still have them both.

 

2) My son.  Since the day he was born, nearly 18 years ago, being his dad has been what I love most about my life every single day.

 

3) My job.  I don't love it.  Most days I don't even like it.  But with the number of people struggling right now in our country, I am grateful to be employed.

 

4) My friends.  I keep a small circle.  I'm still in contact with the same 7 guys I was close to in high school and we are always there when one of us is in need.  I'm also grateful for the friends I've made right here on TBD, including a few whose families I've met and houses I've stayed in.  And others from here who I keep in touch with via text or social media, whom I am lucky to consider friends, too.

 

5) TBD.  Some would say I spend too much time here.  I'd tell them to ***** off.  I'm here so much because I enjoy it and there are lots of genuinely decent people with whom I enjoy "hanging out," every day.

 

6) Free Internet porn.  Don't judge me.  At least I have the balls to admit it!

 

7) Music.  Whether it improves my mood, gets me thinking or gets me moving - it always does something.  Good for the soul.

I think you’re forgetting something 😥

[muppy]

11 hours ago, Virgil said:

I think you’re forgetting something 😥

football football football football football?

 

🙂

I'm thankful for many things many listed but I'll add good food and drink to the list..it sure has been a saving grace during the pandemic not gonna lie.

[Logic]

Thank you for this thread.

I truly believe that gratitude is transformative. Lately, I've been taking a "gratitude walk" every morning, where I silently count to myself the things I'm thankful for. That may sound sappy or lame or whatever, but I don't care. It works. Instead of dwelling on the things that are bad in the world, I am consciously choosing as often as I can remember to dwell in a state of gratitude, reverence, and present-ness. I picked up a couple small meditations/affirmations from the Vietnamese Zen monk Tich Nhat Hanh: "I have all the conditions around me and within me right now to be happy" and "breathing in, I smile. breathing out I am thankful for this moment, I know it is a precious moment". These sentences are simple, but they're powerful. As to what I'm thankful for...

- I am thankful for my wife, who is the best person I know.
- I am thankful for our two sweet little cats that we've had for 13 years. They teach me about unconditional love, and they keep my lap warm on cold winter nights.
- I am thankful for my ancestors and my mother and father, to whom I owe my literal composition as a person.

- Speaking of my father: while his death at a young age was very hard, it showed me the importance of never taking a single day for granted. I am thankful for that.
- I am thankful to my friends and family, who help me to water the seeds of joy in myself on a daily basis.
- I am thankful for a shelter over my head and protection from the elements.
- I am thankful for food and for water, and for the financial security necessary to have enough of both.

- I am thankful for working lungs, and for the ability to take un-hindered breaths.
- I am thankful for my legs and feet, which allow me to walk and run and climb. 
- I am thankful for me arms and hands, which allow me to interact with my environment, to play music, and to work.
- I am thankful for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual good health.
- I am thankful for the teachings of Ram Dass (or Richard Alpert, whichever you prefer), which unlocked many doors of teachings and wisdom in this lifetime.

- I am thankful for music.
- I am thankful for the sport of football and for the Buffalo Bills.


I could go on and on and on. Gratitude doesn't get enough play in our world. When I concentrate on that for which I am thankful, then I see that, as the meditation says, I have enough conditions around me and within me to be happy and at peace RIGHT NOW. Life is a miracle. Waking up every day and taking another breath is a beautiful gift. As Warren Zevon said: "Enjoy every sandwich".

Here's a beautiful little song about gratitude by Pete Townshend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
 

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by Logic

[Seasons1992]

20 hours ago, Gugny said:

4) My friends.  I keep a small circle.  I'm still in contact with the same 7 guys I was close to in high school and we are always there when one of us is in need.  I'm also grateful for the friends I've made right here on TBD, including a few whose families I've met and houses I've stayed in.  And others from here who I keep in touch with via text or social media, whom I am lucky to consider friends, too.

 

5) TBD.  Some would say I spend too much time here.  I'd tell them to ***** off.  I'm here so much because I enjoy it and there are lots of genuinely decent people with whom I enjoy "hanging out," every day.

 

6) Free Internet porn.  Don't judge me.  At least I have the balls to admit it!

 

7) Music.  Whether it improves my mood, gets me thinking or gets me moving - it always does something.  Good for the soul.

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 hours ago, Muppy said:

football football football football football?

 

HA!  I'm not entirely sure I'm grateful to football....I have loved loved loved watching this team at times this year but as a bona fide sufferer from BBFS I can not help waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it did in the final seconds last Sunday 😭

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 11/19/2020 at 6:41 PM, RaoulDuke79 said:

My friends and family are about the only things keeping me going right now. I have what most would consider a great job, and it probably is, but I really don't want to be there most days. The world is a mess and I'm miserable. Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I wish I was a bear and could hibernate for a while. 

 

I'm sorry!  But I'm grateful to your friends and family too, since they are keeping you going.

 

I have been there myself, sticking with a job that had become a huge psychological drain on me for several reasons and I can say...this, too shall pass.  Wishing you some time over the holidays to think things through and decide if you want to plan an exit strategy or stick with it, and if you do stick with it for what period of time.

 

And not to diminish your situation but your comment "I wish I was a bear" reminded me of this joke (click to embiggen):

[Fr. Jerk]

 

Killa Cam finally dropped Purple Haze 2. Not nearly as good as the first, but some serious bangers on here that go hard everyday in the whip, ya dig?