So, what am I thankful for? The entire list could fill volumes. I'm thankful that for the next three days I can listlessly ignore schoolwork. That the Bengals are playing the nightcap so I can fall asleep sooner. That my dog has miraculously made it to his thirteenth Turkey Day. That I can eat obscene amounts of food and my weight won't budge. That my extremities are fully functioning and showing no signs of slowing. That I can perceive a sunset and a starry night sky. The thankfulness would never end. However, there are certain aspects in my life that are too often taken for granted, and which deserve compliments and accolades until the end of time. Thanksgiving provides me the opportunity to reflect on these highlights of my being, and I do so graciously and humbly.
Family - I cannot begin to imagine how life would be without my family. They never cease to entertain, to surprise, to infuriate. Living out of the house supplies a perspective on family that can sometimes be sad and alarming. I come home periodically and my little brother has grown another inch and is looking like me more and more each day, or the tree in the backyard has been cut down, or my baby sister seems less and less like a baby. I have to cherish every moment I'm around them, for fear that quality family moments are becoming a rarity, indeed a memory. My parents have held us together with precision, and their efforts are often unseen at first but felt years down the road when familial bonds are unbreakable. All ten of us sitting at the dinner table, eyeing the impending feast and sharing glances at each other with pure, indescribable joy, brings a sensation of tranquility to my heart and I will always have my family to thank for that.
Friends - I'll admit, I can be tough to deal with sometimes. I'm either bitching about some troubling event on my mind, or keeping to myself and remaining guarded. I'm often very set in my ways and my stubbornness can manifest itself in frustrating arguments and failed attempts at ingenuity. Even though I try my best not to, I can fall into these characteristic tropes of my life quite easily. Sometimes I wonder how my friends put up with it. They are resolutely optimistic and have, on the whole, never failed to stand by me when I needed help most. Keeping my spirits up is never an issue for them, and I can't possibly think of a fun situation I have encountered in the past year where they have not been involved. Even though I may not deserve them, my group of friends cannot be topped, and I am forever grateful.
My Future - The past is tough to reconcile, and the present is often daunting, but the future always has hope. These words run through my head and sometimes posture as a moral code for me. Obviously, some of my best days are behind me, and the things I find enjoyable today are quietly being phased out with each year I get older. Still, life has proven to be unpredictable and exciting beyond measure. If the next six years of my life are filled with as many fulfilling memories as the last six, then I'll be the most fortunate guy in the world. Even if my future looked inexorably bleak, with no expectations of wealth or grandeur or spiritual fulfillment, there is still reason for hope. There's always an obstacle out there waiting to be conquered, or a job to be mastered, or a beautiful woman to be loved, and even a young child to call you "Dad". These life hallmarks may be a bit down the road for me, but I can think of no other way but to give profuse thanks that I am can foresee a life where all these events are attainable - and the hope that the best things in life are yet to come.
