HappyThanksgiving (Image grabbed from here.)

When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was not one of my favorite holidays.  That’s because every year, we’d slog our way through massive traffic to sit in a relative’s house, eat food that was probably quite okay a day earlier and just generally be bored for hours until it was time to deal with the traffic and fight our way home again.   There was little attention paid to the meaning of the holiday itself.  I always wanted to just stay home and watch the annual re-runs of King Kong and Laurel & Hardy’s March of the Wooden Soldiers.

Today, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday.  In part, that’s because it’s remained truly nondenominational.  And for the meaning of the holiday itself.   My own little “life philosophy” tells me that one needs to stop and take stock of what one has accomplished so far in life and be grateful for it.  I may not be a millionaire, I may not have become a famous rock star or film director, I may be currently unemployed and concerned about my future – but my life has turned out far better than I would have ever dared to fantasize as a child. There are still things in life that I want to accomplish, some of which I may never get to do.  There are still places in the world that I want to visit, some of which I may never reach.  But I have done so much, lived so much and have so much to be thankful for.

I’m thankful for my girlfriend and the way she continues to put up with my exceedingly annoying habits.  I’m thankful that my health remains far better than it has any right to be, considering the lifestyles I’ve pursued in the past.  I’m thankful to have so many good friends who remain supportive even through my dark moods that would push lesser people away.  I’m thankful to live in Hong Kong, which despite its plethora of serious issues still seems like a pretty damned good place to me.  And yes, I’m thankful that several hundred of you show up on a daily basis to read whatever insanity I’ve posted here.

So a most sincere Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Tomorrow I’ve got jury duty.  Sigh.

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