Many Reasons to be Thankful

An updated version of an old column

I love Thanksgiving Day in America because it reminds everyone to be thankful. Just go to any home on Thanksgiving Day and you will meet people who are thankful — thankful they have an opportunity, in this great country, to stuff themselves with food. Yes, many people spend the entire day being thankful. I want everyone around the world to be just as thankful — and not just once a year. Most of us have many reasons to be thankful. Here are just a few:

• Be thankful if you have food on your plate, if you aren't constantly hungry, if your neighbor's Chihuahua doesn’t inspire you to search for exotic recipes online.

• Be thankful if you enjoy freedom of speech, if you can write a play portraying the president as a horse's behind, if you don't have to write your next play with a pen up yours.

• Be thankful if you have an unlimited supply of water, if you have enough to drink and cook, if you don’t rush outside with a bar of soap whenever it rains.

• Be thankful if you have freedom of worship, if you can attend a church, temple or mosque without any fear, if you can decorate your home with pictures of whomever you worship, even Lionel Messi.

• Be thankful if you're smarter than the average teen, if you can find Oman, Kenya and Samoa on a globe, if you don't think they're parts of speech, as in: "Oman, I'm so thirsty! Kenya give me Samoa water?"

  

  Photo from Wikipedia.

• Be thankful if you have health insurance, if you can see a doctor anytime you wish, if your doctor didn't get a medical degree through the internet.

• Be thankful if you're fairly healthy, if you don't swallow more than a few pills, if the local pharmacy won’t go out of business if you move.

• Be thankful if you face no discrimination, if the country club doesn't exclude you because of the color of your skin, if the hot date doesn't drop you because of the color of your teeth.

• Be thankful if you have a loving family, if they accept you the way you are, if they're willing to forget the way you were.

• Be thankful if you have no serious addictions, if you can survive an entire week without smoking, drinking or playing bingo, if you show no signs of withdrawal, not even when visiting the bank.

• Be thankful if you have a decent job, if it comes with several benefits, if the best benefit isn't free counseling after the boss harasses you.

• Be thankful if you have a roof over your head, if the roof is wide enough to cover all your belongings, if your most prized belonging isn’t a bucket you use whenever it rains.

• Be thankful if you have a retirement plan, if the plan includes some sort of employer match, if the fine print doesn't include the words "match may cause fire."

• Be thankful if you appreciate what you have, if you don't take your blessings for granted, if you spend part of your life — even a small part — helping others less fortunate.