I am grateful for...

On December 12 my training for the Boston Marathon starts in earnest.  I didn’t run much the week before Thanksgiving due to the fact that it was tech week for the play I directed for the Westborough Players Club.  Even though I didn’t train much, I still signed up for the Whiten 5 Mile Race on Thanksgiving in hopes that it will fire me up for my upcoming training.  I find that races always get my juices pumping and let me know where I am in my fitness level prior to getting into serious training mode for a marathon.

I wanted to post a message prior to Thanksgiving to let my friends, family and followers know what I am thankful for this year.  So, if you will indulge me here is my list for 2011.  I am thankful for:

1.      My wife who puts up with all of my crazy passions and supports me in everything I do.  She provides me with unconditional love and acceptance making me feel special each day.  She is there when I am down to pick me up and to share all of the happy times as well.  I could not imagine my life without her in it and feel lucky to have found her and made her a part of my life for the past 27 years.

2.      My children who are a source of joy each and every day.  I am thankful that I was lucky enough to have them. They mean everything in the world to me – more than the world.   As I approach the empty nest, I know will miss them greatly.  In a blink of an eye they somehow metamorphosed into adults.  Where did the time go?  I am so proud of them both and know that they will go out and make a positive impact on this world.

3.      My parents who made the trek from San Diego to celebrate my 50^th birthday this year.  They enabled me to experience many things, regardless of how much they sometimes worried. They gave me room to be the person I wanted to be never judging my choices in life.  Their love and support allowed me to become the successful person I am today.  They gave me everything they possibly could and some things they probably couldn't. 

4.      My brother and sister who continue to be a big part of my life.  Being the oldest was never easy and we fought a lot as kids.  But, as we have matured, I am thankful that we have truly become friends as well as siblings.  I am so happy to have been able to grow up with two people who truly kept my life so entertaining and still do.  They are two people I know will be there for me through thick or thin and I love them for that.

5.      My friends some of who are just acquaintances who are fun to hang out with now and then.  And then my tried and true friends who I know I can count on, who truly care about me and who only want what is best for me.  I have met so many people over the years and all of them touched my life in special ways.  Some I am no longer in contact with which I regret.  Despite that, I truly value my friends and believe you can never have too many.

6.      My passion for running which has not only allowed me to stay healthy but has given me some of the best experiences of my life and memories I will cherish forever.  Each marathon I have completed has been a unique experience and culminated in achieving my life’s dream of running a 4 hour marathon in 2009 and in Boston no less.

7.      Having lived in many places in the United States.  Since I was born in 1961, I have called California, Arizona, New York, Kansas, Texas, Nevada, Florida, Arkansas and Massachusetts home.  I have to say that experiencing various parts of the country gives you a broad view of how each and every state is different and special in their own way.  I also think it makes a person more tolerant of people’s differences hopefully making me a better person.

8.      My love of the outdoors which has been a huge part of my life through Scouting and beyond.  Having the ability to stand on the tops of mountains and seeing the world from places one can only get to on foot is a life changing experience.  As Henry David Thoreau said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

There are so many things that I am grateful for that I could run this list out to 100 or more things.  What I am probably most grateful for is knowing that people can change themselves if they try hard enough.  I am living proof that this is true.  I am also grateful to have the openness to be touched by so many people and conversely touch so many other people’s lives.  We only have each other in this crazy world and we need to remember that you can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you can get what you need.  So, “be thankful for the fact that you’re alive and that you have another day to enjoy life to its fullest!” (Unknown author)

Happy Thanksgiving!