Start Small on Thanksgiving

When you get to be my age, you are grateful for opening your eyes in the morning. The obvious message that this sends is it means you’re still alive. A second benefit is my eyeballs were not glued to my eyelids, which can happen now and then without any warning — even so, I don’t always stop to consider whether my eyeballs might be glued, which means when I pop them open, they could stick and tear. But most mornings my eyes are perfectly normal, which they were this morning, so that’s the second thing I am grateful for. Check. All limbs accounted for. Nothing ate me in the night or crawled into bed with me. Check. I threw back the covers, sat up, rolled my feet to the ground and nothing hurt, everything worked — it’s a great Thanksgiving!

We are visiting my inlaws who live on acreage with horses, about an hour from Chicago. And yes, we have company staying at our home in Land Park taking care of the cats. It’s almost winter here. It’s not like our scenery at all in Sacramento. I might think it’s a bit dismal in Sacramento in the winter — what with the fog and bare trees and all, but it is no comparison whatsoever to the fog and trees around here, all of which have lost their leaves. It’s really dismal — no greenery anywhere. I am grateful for my Sacramento camellias, azaleas and holly tree.

I mention this because some people find it difficult to find things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I’m not one of those but I know people who are. My advice is to start with the simple things in life and work your way up. May you find an abundance of ways to be thankful today. Happy Thanksgiving.

Photo: Aerial over Chicago