Thanksgiving

I adore Thanksgiving. Not the history of course, the real history surrounding Thanksgiving is rather bleak, not the warm and fuzzy tale we were told as kids. That is not unlike any other story or lullaby that we had been told as kids, so at least there is consistency. The last two Thanksgiving holidays we have seen our already small family culled by life and hurt feelings. Now there is just three and our holiday feasting has opened up to the vast friend circle that have become such a beacon of strength and support over the last handful of weeks. That is a wonderful thing.

My version of this gluttonous holiday includes a laundry list of being thankful for the benign, overlooked, taken for granted, abstract, and coping mechanisms.

I am thankful for being able to:
Tie my shoes
Accept responsibility for my actions
Trust people
Remain optimistic in very troubling times
Adore the invisible
Be gentle with not so gentle situations
Prioritize
Love unconditionally
Be forgiving
Be unforgiving
Have faith in the human condition
See the good outweigh the bad
Accept the bad
Brush my teeth
Make a mean cabbage roll
Eat healthy and not so healthy
Pay attention to my dreams
Think in a non linear pattern
Make peanut butter cups
Sleep in past 9am
Wake up before dawn
Have faith and confidence in my body
Take a deep breath and step forward

The list could go on and on, I'm sure you have a long list too. As the years trudge on, and the last vestiges of childhood and young adulthood fall off, the focus becomes less on the pinnacle and more on the valley. Open space yields more than the small area of a peak.

Yesterday we did max totals at Crossfit and my back squat total was 115lbs. Eight months ago I couldn't even do a full range squat, let alone with weight. My push press total was a bit disappointing, 65lbs, but again, in May of this year I could barely get the 45lb bar over my head. Progress may seem slow at first, but it is always complete.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.