Reflections on Thankfulness

Yes, it is that time of year again when we should remind ourselves of all the things for which we are grateful. There are so many to choose from and for everyone they are different. Here are twenty things for which I am thankful right now:

I am thankful for my son, who is healthy and bright and happy. He is the single greatest joy in my life. The most important thing I do is be father to him. And I recognize that the measure of me as a father is not what he thinks of me, but rather what he thinks of himself.

I am thankful for my wife. Claudia has been my savior time and again. We’ve already had our moments of better and worse and are still in love after ten years. Most importantly, I am grateful that our relationship allows us to be interdependent, not dependent. When you become dependent on another as an adult, you lose yourself. We have not done that.

I am thankful for my parents. It’s been a long road and we’ve had great and terrible moments. Through it all they always loved me and did they best that they could to make me a better person. Our relationship is stronger today than it has ever been.

I am grateful for the rest of my family. Not just my sister, but my cousins, my aunts and uncles and even my wife’s family. They are part of the fabric of my life. And though they do not define me, just as my son, wife and parents do not define me, they help to make me a whole person.

I am thankful for my health. There are so many aspects to this one that I often take for granted. I still have 20/15 vision. I can walk. I can hear, speak and feel. I am able to run. I don’t have to wonder what it would be like to play catch with my son, because I can do it.

I am thankful that I can write. All of us are given talents. Some of us can run fast. Some can do math or science. Some are brilliant strategists. One talent of mine is that I can communicate through the written word. I tell a good story. It is a blessing that I do not take lightly – in fact it is a blessing that I have begun utilizing and will continue to do so as long as I can. We all need stories. I love that I can provide that.

I am thankful for my passion for food. I often kid that it is because I am part Italian. I don’t know if it is the reason, but I do know that food is more than just a means to sustain life. It is an art. And I have an appreciation for that art. To me, serving friends and family at the table is one of life’s many joys. Hearing the words, “this is delicious” is almost on par with someone telling me I write well.

I am thankful for my love of outdoors. I have been an adventurer for over a decade now. It’s a passion that I have started to pass on to my son. It’s also something that helps me to be a well-rounded person. Whether it is pulling in a sailfish or summiting a mountain or kayaking through the islands of the Maine coastline, I know I have a second home outdoors. I am comfortable there.

I am thankful for my friends. A friendship is a bond I have never taken lightly. I am loyal to my friends and I cherish my time with them. They, like family, are a part of the fabric that weaves through my life. My best friend, to no surprise, shares my same passions. Other friends share creativity or laughter or memories. I cherish them all.

I am thankful for my job. I spent years worrying about my career. It messed me up. I finally found a place where I am comfortable. I enjoy working hard here and I am proud to work for my superiors.

I am thankful for my commute. Three hours on a train each day is a lot of time to write stories.

I am thankful for my home. I know we only need a roof over our heads and some heat and food, but I have to admit, I really love where I live. It is my dream house. Plus, being able to pass farms on the road to get to my street is a secret pleasure for me. Living where I do and working where I do allows me to enjoy New York City and country New England shoreline in the same life. How couldn’t I be thankful?

I am thankful for my mood disorder. I have bipolar disorder. So be it. Perhaps it has done me more bad than good over the years. But it is not a crutch any longer. In fact it is a friend. It’s also a doorway to something I hadn’t felt before. After diagnosed I discovered that several famous writers, composers and even world leaders have or had the very same. I am in good company.

I am thankful for all of my quirks and idiosyncrasies. Some of them are good and some not so good. I have the attention span of a gnat. I have horrible posture. But I also have a big smile and a quick, if sometimes raw, sense of humor. I am thankful for all of it.

I am thankful that it has been almost two years since I last had a cigarette.

I am thankful for my rage. While it is my biggest flaw and my greatest danger, it is also my energy source for my creativity. And for that I love it.

I am thankful for my country. I love the United States of America. I believe in the ideals that formed us as a nation. I am proud to call myself a citizen. And though I believe the current administration is evil, we are a good nation.

I am thankful for my rebellion. Questioning the status quo is more than a privilege, it’s a duty. I hope that I’ll have the same fire for it when I am eighty as I do today.

I am thankful that the words I lived by when I was younger – Live Life to the Fullest – still is how I live my life today.

I am thankful for who I am. I am Eric Anderson. It’s a common name. I am an uncommon person.