Thanksgiving, as the name suggests, is a time when we are supposed to give thanks for all of the great things in our lives. I can distinctly remember this time in grade school. We would all gather and everyone would be required to name one thing they are thankful for. The room would inevitably be filled with repeated statements of thanks for family and friends, and maybe a new toy.
Sadly, I don’t think I’ve taken any significant amount of time around this holiday to think what I’m thankful for since those exercises when I was a little kid. So, what am I truly thankful for? It’s easy to say family and friends, but what else am I thankful for?
Well, I’m thankful I’m not a turkey. More than 46 million of them were consumed during Thanksgiving in 2007 -- that’s a lot of meat! I’m thankful I’m not the family dog circa Thanksgiving 2004, when he was caught nose-deep in the Turkey my dad put on the floor without thinking. We laugh about it now, but boy did he get it right afterwards. Although… he may have thought it was worth it! I’m thankful President Lincoln made the final day in November a national day of thanks giving, and Congress made it a national holiday in 1941. Thanks for laying the groundwork for my upcoming long weekend, Lincoln!
I’m thankful for the spread of food my mom will put out, and that I don’t have to eat what was on the menu at the original Thanksgiving back in 1621. Here’s what their taste buds were treated to, according to the History Channel’s website: cod, eel, clams, lobster, turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge, eagles, venison, seal, wheat flour, Indian corn, pumpkin, peas, beans, onion, lettuce, radishes, carrots, plums, grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, olive oil, liverwort, leeks, dried currants and parsnips.
A lot of that actually sounds pretty good, but a few things stuck out to me. Crane: I’ve never had crane, but there’s a blue heron that fishes in the water behind my house --perhaps it wants to join the spread. Eagle: can’t say I’ve ever had eagle, but the Baltimore Ravens had themselves a little pre-Thanksgiving Eagle last night! Seal: I’ll let the sharks have the seal, they are too fun to watch at the zoo to eat. And liverwort... what in the world is liverwort??
All jokes aside, there are a lot of people in the world who have little-to-nothing to be thankful for. And, a lot of people who are thankful for things we take for granted like fresh drinking water, food, medicine, shelter, clothing, etc… Like millions of others, I tuned in to “24 Redemption” last night to watch superhero, err, Special Agent Bauer foil the bad guys yet again. Beyond all the cheesy action and the whispering, then yelling, then whispering again of Bauer, there was a poignant message about the unthinkable struggles people in other countries face. It made me realize that I get down about some of the most ridiculous things sometimes. Compared to most of the world, I live a powder-puff life, and I need to stop and think about that when I’m upset because of something trivial.
So, I’m thankful for the incredible life I’ve been afforded, and hopeful that someday everyone will be given an equitable chance at a good life. Yes, I know, I’m the perpetual optimistic hoping for way too much, but you can’t stop me!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friends, a man's best friend
Friends come in all different forms. There are fleeting friends, circumstantial friends, friends from certain periods in life (i.e. high school, college, etc...), work friends, friends of friends… I think you get the point. And, for those of us who are lucky enough to have them, there are the coveted lifelong friends.
Friendships play a crucial role in our everyday lives, yet sometimes it seems like it’s easier to neglect them than nurture them. It’s incredibly easy to take friends for granted, especially ones you’ve had extended period of time because you just don’t think about how important they are on a day-to-day basis.
I’m grateful for the many great friends I have, but even I fall into the trap from time to time. I’ve been reminded of what great friends I have recently, and how little I would have without them, which inspired me to write this blog.
For a long time I thought the title “best friend” could only be bestowed on one person, and for a long time I only had one best friend. This is a guy I’ve literally known as far back as I can remember. We’ve been though every stage of our lives together, from the first sleep overs of grade school and the realization that girls aren’t disgusting during middle school, to the greatness of freedom in college and “the man’s got me down” blues of the working world. He’s now in graduate school at Harvard so I don’t get to see him as much as I used to, but what’s great about our friendship is our ability to pick up where we left off, no matter how long it’s been. A best friend is a great thing and there’s no doubt in my mind he will remain my best friend as long as we’re above ground.
What’s even better, I’ve come to realize over the past couple of years that I can have two best friends. They are in very different categories, but I place equal emphasis on each. My other best friend is my soon-to-be wife. She shares many of the same qualities, such as unabashed honesty, willingness to do anything, etc… and there is no doubt in my mind that we will always be there for each other. I wouldn’t have put a ring on her finger if I thought otherwise, even just a little.
Can family be considered friends? I consider my family to be friends… they certainly have all the symptoms of being friends – loyalty, honesty, etc… My brother and I are almost exact opposites, which makes us fantastic counterpoints to each other and great friends. My dad calls his father his best friend and sincerely means it. Even at 60 years old he looks to his father with admiration, and I look at both of them the same way.
Those are just a few examples, but friends do so many great things for me every day, such as opening up doors to new opportunities, being with me in life’s best and worst moments and making me laugh on a daily basis. All I can hope is that they feel I do the same for them.
Friendships play a crucial role in our everyday lives, yet sometimes it seems like it’s easier to neglect them than nurture them. It’s incredibly easy to take friends for granted, especially ones you’ve had extended period of time because you just don’t think about how important they are on a day-to-day basis.
I’m grateful for the many great friends I have, but even I fall into the trap from time to time. I’ve been reminded of what great friends I have recently, and how little I would have without them, which inspired me to write this blog.
For a long time I thought the title “best friend” could only be bestowed on one person, and for a long time I only had one best friend. This is a guy I’ve literally known as far back as I can remember. We’ve been though every stage of our lives together, from the first sleep overs of grade school and the realization that girls aren’t disgusting during middle school, to the greatness of freedom in college and “the man’s got me down” blues of the working world. He’s now in graduate school at Harvard so I don’t get to see him as much as I used to, but what’s great about our friendship is our ability to pick up where we left off, no matter how long it’s been. A best friend is a great thing and there’s no doubt in my mind he will remain my best friend as long as we’re above ground.
What’s even better, I’ve come to realize over the past couple of years that I can have two best friends. They are in very different categories, but I place equal emphasis on each. My other best friend is my soon-to-be wife. She shares many of the same qualities, such as unabashed honesty, willingness to do anything, etc… and there is no doubt in my mind that we will always be there for each other. I wouldn’t have put a ring on her finger if I thought otherwise, even just a little.
Can family be considered friends? I consider my family to be friends… they certainly have all the symptoms of being friends – loyalty, honesty, etc… My brother and I are almost exact opposites, which makes us fantastic counterpoints to each other and great friends. My dad calls his father his best friend and sincerely means it. Even at 60 years old he looks to his father with admiration, and I look at both of them the same way.
Those are just a few examples, but friends do so many great things for me every day, such as opening up doors to new opportunities, being with me in life’s best and worst moments and making me laugh on a daily basis. All I can hope is that they feel I do the same for them.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My thoughts on the election through the words of 2Pac
I've been considering starting a blog for some time. Not because I think anyone in their right mind will want to read my random streams of consciousness any more than the millions of other bloggers out there, but because I love to write. And, if it just so happens that even one person finds value in any of my blogs, then I will have overachieved in the standards I've set forth.
Ok, here goes my first blog! As I said before, I've been thinking about doing this for a while and what better time to start than the day after what may very well be the most important election of my lifetime? Now, I'm no political buff, as you will discern below, but these are the thoughts I have.
I accidentally fell asleep about 10:45 p.m. Obama had a clear lead, he was over 200 electoral points, and I was just waiting up to hear the speeches. When I woke up at 5:10 a.m. with the TV still on and heard he had won, I had the strangest thought. Out of the millions of things that could have run through my mind, I thought about the 2Pac song Changes. About 3/4 of the way through the song he says, "and although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to see a black president." That song was recorded 13 years ago and I can guarantee you that anybody who listened to it then never gave a second thought to that line, other than to agree with it. Thirteen years ago, the thought of a black president was pretty much inconceivable.
Thirteen years may seem like a long time, but it's really not. Not when you're talking about the kind of ideological and societal change we saw last night. I listened to the local hip hop station on my way into work today, and they talked how this makes all the simple-minded, hateful, racist people in America not matter anymore because America has spoken and showed how we truly feel. I couldn't agree more. 2Pac died 12 years ago, before Changes was ever even released, but if he were to suddenly come back today and see Barack Obama as President-elect, I be he'd be pretty surprised. As for me, I'm just glad. I think the right man won the race, and I can't wait for him to prove me right.
P.S. Some may think it's wierd for me to use 2Pac as my focus rather thank MLK Jr. or any other number of individuals, but, hey, these are just my thoughts as they come to me.
P.P.S. If you look up the song Changes on Wikipedia, it's already been updated to reflect Barack Obama's election, in reference to that line. The power of the World Wide Web!
Ok, here goes my first blog! As I said before, I've been thinking about doing this for a while and what better time to start than the day after what may very well be the most important election of my lifetime? Now, I'm no political buff, as you will discern below, but these are the thoughts I have.
I accidentally fell asleep about 10:45 p.m. Obama had a clear lead, he was over 200 electoral points, and I was just waiting up to hear the speeches. When I woke up at 5:10 a.m. with the TV still on and heard he had won, I had the strangest thought. Out of the millions of things that could have run through my mind, I thought about the 2Pac song Changes. About 3/4 of the way through the song he says, "and although it seems heaven sent, we ain't ready to see a black president." That song was recorded 13 years ago and I can guarantee you that anybody who listened to it then never gave a second thought to that line, other than to agree with it. Thirteen years ago, the thought of a black president was pretty much inconceivable.
Thirteen years may seem like a long time, but it's really not. Not when you're talking about the kind of ideological and societal change we saw last night. I listened to the local hip hop station on my way into work today, and they talked how this makes all the simple-minded, hateful, racist people in America not matter anymore because America has spoken and showed how we truly feel. I couldn't agree more. 2Pac died 12 years ago, before Changes was ever even released, but if he were to suddenly come back today and see Barack Obama as President-elect, I be he'd be pretty surprised. As for me, I'm just glad. I think the right man won the race, and I can't wait for him to prove me right.
P.S. Some may think it's wierd for me to use 2Pac as my focus rather thank MLK Jr. or any other number of individuals, but, hey, these are just my thoughts as they come to me.
P.P.S. If you look up the song Changes on Wikipedia, it's already been updated to reflect Barack Obama's election, in reference to that line. The power of the World Wide Web!
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