Gee -- thanks!

Thanksgiving in Canada, which is this weekend, isn’t as big a deal as it is in the US, and that is one of the things for which I give thanks. It’s a kind of homey little thing, not punctuated by any sort of excess, and more in line with the old-fashioned church harvest festival.

Since we didn’t have the pilgrim connection, we didn’t need to build up myths around that piece of mis-history – really, the natives weren’t all that excited about sitting around and scarfing turkey and pumpkin pie with the folks who saw it as their predestination to dominate these ragamuffins of the forest. So, in fact, they didn’t do it, despite legends to the contrary.

But, I do like the idea of giving thanks, in either the American or Canadian version. It’s something we should all do more often, despite the wretched state of the world. An “attitude of gratitude” is a philosophy that can serve us well. Whatever is good in your life deserves acknowledgment because, lets face it, nothing in the universe ‘owes’ us anything.

What do I give thanks for? Many things, including the following as a partial list of my gratitudes:

- Having lived to the age I have. I have considerably surpassed the male life expectancy for many parts of the world, despite the fact that the people born in Upper Volta, or wherever are no less deserving of a full span than I am.

- Being in a warm and loving marriage – finally – and for that I am thankful for my fine wife and her level of caring for me. I hope I do the same for her. But, I am also grateful to my two former wives for having taught me how remiss I was in my earlier relationships and what I must do to not fall into such traps again.

- Having learned to forgive – for the most part. My parents cannot undo what they did, but I forgive them for having done the best they could despite their own demons. I won’t say I’ve forgiven ‘everybody’ who has harmed me in my life, but those few that remain give me fine examples of how not to be. Whether they ultimately burn in hell isn’t up to me.

- Gratitude for friendships. They are the lifeblood of continued existence. I can go for years without seeing certain friends, but I cherish them always. Friendship comes in many guises, including the Internet, and it all works for me and I know I am never alone.

- A grateful toast to the women I’ve loved in my life. Not just for the intimacy, though that was life affirming, but also for teaching me, perhaps, the meaning of what love was. I cherish you all, and always will do so.

- Gratitude for learning how to ‘care’. It didn’t happen so much when I was younger – it rarely does for anybody – but became an evolutionary thing with me. I’ve actually found that I can sometimes care about the comfort and happiness of another more than me own. The trade off being, that also makes me very happy.

- I’ve met some very interesting and even illustrious people in my life – both good and bad people – and have gained from all such associations.

- Having traveled fairly extensively, and having lived in another society have given me, I think, a broader and more tolerant view of the world. Bigots are those who know nothing about those against whom they are prejudiced.

- My intelligence, such as it is, and my education, such as it is, have served me infinitely well at many levels.

- My creativity, such as it is. Well, see education and intelligence. The same things apply.

- Having attained something of a state of spiritual well being. I have a long way to go, and I want to travel that path and learn all that I can of what my real place in the universe might be.

- Finally, not having turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Except when it is used in sandwiches or soup, turkey is one of the most overrated foodstuffs on the planet. We’re having rack-of-lamb. I can hardly wait.