I wanted to turn the tone a little more serious for a moment than I usually do and stop and give thanks for what I have, what I DON'T have, and ask you to do the same, as we near the annual Thanksgiving holiday this year.
"Stand up, on this Thanksgiving Day, stand upon your feet. Believe in man. Soberly and with clear eyes, believe in your own time and place. There is not, and there never has been a better time, or a better place to live in." ~Phillips Brooks
"Never a better time, or a better place to live in..." wise words for sure. And while they're not mine, I certainly embrace them whole-heartedly. Because we spend a lot of our lives when we're young looking towards the future, what's-to-come.. while maybe not paying much attention to where-we-are. And as we get older the grip of Nostalgia becomes tighter, and we think of what's-gone instead of what's-here-and-now.
I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to this... I'm a VERY nostalgic person.. Hell, I'm nostalgic for things I NEVER KNEW in my own lifetime.. I've always spent a lot of time planning... but not a lot of time DOING. The time has come to stop talking and start doing.. for all of us, don't you think? The time will never be RIGHT.. so the time must be NOW.
To lose that weight.. to get off the couch and exercise.. to work on that book I'm writing.. to fix the lawnmower.. WHATEVER it is.. it will not happen on it's own.. (believe me, my wife knows this - she can ask me many many times to empty the dishwasher - and it STILL doesn't happen on it's own.. no matter what I might think!)
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: We're all guilty of procrastination. But tomorrow, hopefully surrounded by friends and family.. take a moment.. go around the table.. and SAY IT OUT LOUD - what are YOU thankful for? Our words become our realities... write it down if you don't want to share it.. but be THANKFUL. We move through our lives thinking but not saying.. feeling but not sharing.. living but not LIVING.
So on this special day of Thanks-Giving.. DO give thanks for something.. because while it might not be a second chance, we all have something to be grateful for in our lives. Take a moment and no matter how religious you are or not, look to the skies and say a silent 'Thank You' to whomever you believe in.. I do it multiple times a day, everyday - and believe me.. it makes a difference.
And on that note - here's what I'M thankful for this year:
I am thankful for my LIFE. I am thankful for my HEALTH. I am thankful for my FAMILY. My opportunities, my creativity. I am thankful for having clean MRI/CAT scans and being cancer-free. I am thankful for the friends in my life, and thankful for those who are no longer in my life and have made it better for not being there. I am thankful for my Wife, my Son, my Parents and my Grandmother. My In-Laws. My dog. I am thankful when I watch tv news reports about impoverished areas of the world, and knowing I can support my family, to keep a roof over their heads, and food in their mouths. I am thankful for MY SECOND CHANCE. And this next year, I plan on taking more and better advantage of it, living my life in a fuller way.. and enjoying all the things that this beautiful world has to offer an ordinary man like me.
And that, after all is what this blog is all about - using my second chance. Maybe this time of year you should re-evaluate what's important to YOU too.. and make the change to live the life you want to live.
Because (unless I see proof of something different) we only go through life once this time around.. so you should stop once in a while and smell the roses.
Happy, Healthy THANKFUL Thanksgiving to you all, my friends.
Until next time,
-Pittle OUT.
"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"
-William A. Ward
