Thanksgiving

It is easy to become jaded and believe that there is little to be thankful for these days. We are constantly bombarded with images of a dangerous political world, environmental peril and the decline of our country's primacy in world affairs. Meanwhile our television shows are either about dysfunctional families, law enforcement or middle aged people trying to act like they're 25. Thanksgiving itself has for too many become merely another excuse to eat and drink too much while watching overpaid babies play football. Still, the holiday remains my favorite day of the year.

As a young man, I hated the inevitable question at the Thanksgiving table: "What are you thankful for?" This question was asked each year in my house and I always had to choke back my smartass first answer in favor of some platitude about family or a roof over my head, etc. As I've gotten older, I have gradually come to appreciate the existence of the roof as my responsibility for keeping it there has grown. I make my own kids play the thankful game now and they love it as much as I did. Since not everything on my list has to do with my family, I thought I'd share my more general thankful list with you. So here goes.

Things that I'm Thankful For in 2009:

1. My job. I don't feel lucky to have a job as I have worked hard to get here, but I am glad to have it. Working here is a true joy and as I like to complain, this place makes it easy to get up in the morning.

2. My Colleagues. It's no secret that I have a bromance going with Mr. Engle, Mr. Spalding, etc. I like the people I work with. They make me laugh, ignore most of my weaknesses and genuinely make my life better. Who could ask for more than that?

3. You. I mean this word in both its singular and plural forms. You work very hard, care about our school, country and world, and, perhaps best of all, you seem to even like the process. I am lucky to have you and I'm thankful for the honor.

So that's it. Yeah, it's a short list--but it's a list. This year when you sit with your family, try to think of the things you are thankful for. Find your happy place. Yes we will probably all eat too much and watch too much tv, football or not, but let's do so with a smile on our faces. Let's make sure to give thanks.