Yep. It’s that time of year again. Though I like to think I’m pretty good at giving thanks on a daily basis, for the blessings in my world. So this is perhaps as much of a recap for me as an annual meditation, but I thought I’d share it anyway…and go a bit deeper.
I’m going to be a bit politically incorrect and give thanks for having been born when and where I was, into the family I was born in. Yes, we were Jewish, which had some stigmas attached. But we were in the United States, in good communities, my dad was a veteran and able to take advantage of the GI bill after World War II, and he worked our way into the upper middle class. A whole lot of people in this world start with far, far less, and while I don’t intend to feel guilty for that…I do appreciate that a lot of where I am in the world was made possible in part by where I started.
I’m thankful that we had access to absolutely amazing, state-of-the-art healthcare, when I was very young and afflicted with something that could have left me in need of care my entire life, and that I was able to go to a couple of schools that gave me the space to be more than a square peg in a round hole, which could very well have left me labeled a “troublemaker” and undesirable.
I’m thankful that I had parents who, despite their flaws and issues, were both there to raise us with love. Yes, I’m still sorting through some of my childhood issues…but I could have had it *way* worse.
I’m thankful for my brother. We’re not particularly close, but he’s still *there*. I’m thankful to still be somewhat connected with some of my other blood relatives.
I’m thankful for the friends, the lovers, and the adversaries I have and I’ve had over the years, and for the “family” I’ve accumulated with whom I share no blood. I’m thankful for the teachers I’ve had, officially and otherwise.
I’m thankful for each step I’ve taken on my songline, because I wouldn’t be who I am today without each and every one of those steps.
I’m thankful for all of the places I’ve visited, from Cologne to Key West to California. Thankful for having had the opportunity to learn to think in another language, and the perspective that brought me. I’m thankful for the many wonderful people I’ve met in my travels, and for those who’ve become my friends.
I’m thankful for a bit of musical talent and a connection to my Muse and to the greater Muse of which she’s a part, and thankful that my halting efforts to manifest that Muse have found favor with some of you. I’m thankful to those who’ve helped me on my musical journey, some by offering support and others by offering criticism. And those who’ve offered both. In the long run, it all helps.
I’m thankful for a warm house, a comfortable bed, food on my table, and the means to continue to have these things.
And I’m thankful to the Universe, in His/Her many faces and guises, for helping me shape my luck a bit now and then. 🙂
This is the greatest life I’ve ever known.