Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is upon us here in the U.S. of A. It's a holiday that encourages some introspection. In our busy lives, we forget to take time and do things like that. There's a reason why phrases like count your blessings, and stop and smell the roses were coined, because we don't naturally do that.

The economy has been tanking, then making recoveries, then tanking again. Social change has been making strides, then getting stymied, taking a step back, making more strides, then getting taken away again. So it's easy to look at your life and think that things suck worse than ever. Heck, I'll admit that things aren't better for me than they have been in previous years.

But to try to say that I don't have things to be thankful for is definitely not the truth. I may be working more and earning less, but I still have a family that loves me. I still have a podcast that brings me joy and fun week after week. I still have a job, and that's more than many people can say. I have enough food that I can have a Thanksgiving feast, and that's more than many people can say as well.

And I live in an era of unprecedented prosperity, really. I sit here typing on my computer, writing a blog post. I'm not so old that I can't remember a time when both of those things were unheard of. We had a typewriter in my house growing up, and I was out of the house before the internet became available there. I have a tablet that I can play Angry Birds or Cut The Rope on. Oh, and I might be able to put it to a worthwhile use as well. I guess I should look into that. Heck, even my kids have tablets to watch Netflix on, and video game consoles and so on and so on.

I'm not even close to a rich man, but all the same, I live in the lap of luxury compared to people fifty years ago, or even fifteen years ago. And I can't help but be thankful for that. If it weren't for all the advances that have taken place in the last twenty years or so, I wouldn't be able to have a podcast, a blog, a facebook account, or a website. And without all those things, I'd have no relationship with you, the reader of my blog and listener of my podcast.

And that's something that I'm thankful for this November. The people that I have met and associated with because of The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine. I may not have ever met any of them personally, but they've brought me some moments of real joy in the last few years, and I thank them for that.

Thanks for caring everyone. And Happy Thanksgiving.