Shootin' it Straight - Thanks for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has almost been dwarfed by Halloween and is certainly overshadowed by the upcoming Christmas season. I find that sad, because at its core, Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather and reflect on all the things they’re thankful for. No matter how bumpy the ride has been between last year and now, there are always good things we tend to gloss over while we highlight the negatives. Thanksgiving is a time to reset and take one last pause before everyone starts scrambling for sales, trees, and lights. In a world bent on a throttle-down mentality, we should all make it a point to slow things down.

I am personally thankful for my way of life. From growing up wild and free in God’s country to now, I know plenty of folks have been less fortunate than I have. Life is but a vapor, fragile and fleeting, but as of now, I’m healthy enough to run with the opportunity I was handed. The pursuit of happiness has taken me places I wouldn’t pass back through unarmed, but I’m still thankful for the chance to go.

I plop my backside down in an antique folding chair under a shed while the smoker rolls over a chunk of pork, and as I write, I know my meager life is someone else’s dream. I get in a vehicle that starts most times without hesitation and drive to a job where people come by to see me. I live in a decent home where comfortable temperatures are never more than a switch away.

The wife and I have taken in a few more sights, concerts, and dives this year, with more on the horizon. I’ve watched a few more taillights on Harleys drag around a curve as I pace myself to keep up with the boys. The youngest has accompanied me for miles, chasing dirt trails on Dunlop 32s, fox squirrels, and deer. I’m thankful for another year of living a life many don’t understand.

I’ve always loved Thanksgiving for its solitary focus. The centerpiece is food and family, plain and simple. The pageantry and hectic nature of Christmas are just around the corner, waiting forJohn  us. But for now, let’s chide each other over deviled eggs, fight over board games, argue about cranberry sauce, and laugh a little more.

We all have negatives throughout the year. Things are rarely as Rockwell as we paint them in our minds. But we undoubtedly still have things to be thankful for. Too often, we take for granted all the things that went right and don’t acknowledge them. Being thankful should be a daily trait, but let’s pin it to the top of our list, at least for the day.