Upon reflection I've decided that waiting
until a day in November to give thanks
is a completely thankless way to express
my gratitude. With or without a turkey,
happiness and fulfillment are all around
me. Hence daily, hourly, in fact every
minute I can easily discover something
to be grateful for. Therefore the very
least this man can do is acknowledge
the good in my life on a regular basis.
Equally important is to truly embrace
that even the most painful of life's
challenges are inevitably beneficial.
For most of my life I've chased rather
elusive dreams. Endlessly toiling away
in a futile attempt to get from anyplace
but here... to wherever there was. Now
that I look back, I realize that the trip
itself was the most important aspect of
said transition. In the process of figuring
out who I was and what in fact I actually
needed, I also found that a sense of peace
and contentment had quietly fallen upon
me. And therefore this traveler can't but
help being thankful for said gift from
God. Whether I've truly earned it or not.
What makes me happy? The littlest
of things. However if I'm blatantly
honest, the joy of sharing every day
with another is what ultimately yields
the ultimate level of satisfaction. As
my tenure with Frank has grown I've
gradually let go of any and all angst.
If/when we quarrel it's different than
before. That's because we both know
that no matter what - we BOTH win.
You see, we're not going anywhere
without the other. And for that sense
of security I am eternally grateful.
With age comes the realization that it's
best to enjoy every moment you've got.
Learning to embrace happenstance is a
a rather natural process. There's no way
to directly attribute my perpetual state
of bliss to anything specific. I can only
confess that the tiniest moments in life
seem to provide joy. And that the more
capricious or unplanned said events are,
the bigger their benefit. Hence over the
last year I've learned to let it flow. And
thankfully, once you're open to almost
anything - happiness is everywhere!
Whether it's the sunlight that filters
through our Horse Chestnut or my
dearest friend's oldest jokes, I'm oft
amazed at what life has to offer. Is
happiness simply waiting for us all
to discover it? At this point I feel
the need to offer a reality check. I'm
certain that by now some of you are
over this "zen" diatribe. Others are
incredulous at the idea of some guy
who seemingly has it all waxing on
about nirvana. But before you say
"no thanks" please let me explain...
Circumstances have little to do with
bliss. One's frame of mind fuels one's
reality. One could argue that incurring
what in theory is a terminal illness is
a hopeless situation. However having
the desire to overcome said malady
could be the difference between life or
death. A lack of trust will destroy any
marriage. So why hold your cards too
close to your chest rather than let it all
hang out? The only way to win is to be
willing to face facts. Hence I'm happy
that I've hopefully learned my lessons.
In hindsight, the only explanation I
can give for why things went wrong
in my life is that I made a series of
bad decisions. The resulting disaster
was perpetuated by a self consumed
state of confusion. Said mistakes are
the byproduct of delusion. To recap -
due to my own ignorance, I inflicted
pain upon myself and others. Finally
with the help of many, I was able to
figure out how to end said cycle of
despair. Now I'm gratefully focused
on being happy and nothing else!
When were you last truly thankful? Even if
your life in theory "sucks" I'm certain that
if you search deep down into your quagmire
you'll discover something to be grateful for.
We each have the power to shift from the
negative to the positive. That's the only way
to end the cycle of self mutilation. Begin by
acknowledging that there is a vast difference
between good in bad. However both provide
a context for improvement. You simply have
to be willing to stop the madness and move
along. Ready to start your own Thanksgiving
celebration?! Join the rest of us turkeys!
