- Of all the technologies we've developed, I am most thankful for the simple capture of the ordered clashing of subatomic particles we know as electricity. It is the foundation of our communications, industry, nearly everything we create and do, and in nature the force that drives life itself. Without electricity Earth would be a barren rock.
- I am thankful and fortunate to know the limits of my abilities, how far I can push past them, and am grounded enough to know when I'm kidding myself. There have been times in my life when I bit off far more than I could chew and made all sorts of excuses when I failed, the truth being I thought I was taller or stronger or bigger than I really was. Knowing your limits lets you know just how far you can push the envelope, and in doing so, expand those boundaries. Today, and every day, I plan to make the unlikely possible, and before long I'll be doing something I thought impossible.
- I am grateful that I no longer make excuses for my faults, failures, and shortcomings. Self-honesty always leads to a permanent solution to any problem I'm facing. Where I used to say, "I'm too tired," "I don't have time," or "the world won't let me," I now say "but you're not too tired to surf," "you always MAKE time for the things you truly want," and "it's just not important to me or I would figure out a way to do it." It's one thing to create a facade for how you wish the rest of the world to perceive you, but when you believe your own lies, you are truly your own greatest enemy.
-
TOOLS! I have always loved tools, and am thankful for all the tools available to me, from my clean, polished set of wrenches, ratchets, sockets, pliers, screwdrivers and other gadgets to the keyboard on which I type and the computer that translates it into digital characters and words. Back scratchers (ahh!), combs, pencils, paintbrushes, wheels, levers, dials, shovels, rakes, screw guns (see #31,) TV remote controls (for which there are few tools to locate when lost,) keys, scissors, dining utensils, tools are one of the things we take for granted that are a huge part of our daily lives. If you get through the day without interacting with tools, you're either a lab rat in a cage or slept all day in a bed - both of which were built with tools! - I am grateful for the few farmers and ranchers left in the world that haven't been driven out by corporations. People think of "rednecks" as ignorant backwoods hillbillies, but the term redneck comes from the sunburn a farmer or rancher gets from toiling before dawn until after dark to bring us food and life from the earth. Whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore, our sustenance relies on the lifetime dedication of farmers and ranchers. When you sit down at tonight's meal, pause for a moment and consider the sweat and labor that brought you this dinner.
- I am thankful our rental has a yard, with grass to water and mow, a place for bare feet, where children can play and dogs can roll in (as well as that other business dogs need to do.) I can't imagine a life without frequent contact with the Earth, spending most of it on concrete and man-made materials.
- I am thankful for all that is yet to be: the places I haven't been, the experiences I haven't felt, good or bad, the people I haven't met. There was a time I wished for things and was resentful because I couldn't attain them, then saw that there are many in life who have all those things and still aren't happy. Whatever they are, large or small, I'm ready for them now, when the time is right they will come. Bring it on! :-)
- I am thankful for all the people in the world and in my life that have set examples by actions, not words. These are the people that have changed the course of society by chasing their dreams, sometimes paying the ultimate price. Among them are our fifth president, all astronauts - especially those of the Challenger - MLK, S.E. Hillary, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Princess Diana, Jay Moriarty, Betty White, Steve Irwin, the folks of Duct Tape Surfing, the guitarist in Balboa Park with no arms, and the woman I married. The inspiration they bring to us is priceless.
- Although I seldom feel like I am, today I am thankful for being lucky, for chance, for getting the good side of the roll of the dice. The Weather Channel and a good portion of the Internet is a disaster fear-a-thon, warning us how the change in direction of of a meteorite or crisis of a man-made disaster could end it all. It's all absolutely true, this **could** all end tomorrow without a second's notice. We've survived for eons on good luck, from a universal scale down to pausing for one second before stepping into a busy street. I haven't won the lotto and do poorly at games of chance, but still am very lucky, as are we all.
- Thankful I can play music: guitar, bass, keyboard, drum, harmonica, voice, others; I have an intimate relationship with the chords A minor, F major seventh, the generic and cliche group of G/C/A minor, and recognize the blues scale in almost every song I hear. I don't play all that well, for me it's about the process, not the product. For a while I wondered why I never play for anyone, then realized it's a thing that serves my spirit, the true reward of playing music isn't performing, it's an expression of the soul, like meditation or prayer. Might be a little selfish, but the universe hears, so it's all good. :-)
- I am thankful for the works of the high school drop-out, Ray Bradbury. Very early in life he taught me the wonder of innocence, that I was not alone with the helplessness of a boy trying to understand how the world worked, and wrote well of the loss of humanity in the sea of technology long before the computer age took grasp. Because he dropped out of high school, I often think of him when the world says "you can't, because of X." I still haven't tried dandelion wine, one day I'll raise a glass in his honor (aside, at a young and vibrant 91 years he passed into the Golden Apples of the Sun May of last year.)
- Number forty two cannot go to anyone but Douglas Adams. In a single phrase he summed up the futility of the pursuit of questions that have no answer and aren't meant to be answered. Thanks to Adams we will always know where our towels are, we live and learn - well, at any rate, we live - and whatever happens, we know not to panic. My favorite quote that I try to live by daily: "I'd far rather be happy than right any day." Thank you Mr. Adams, so long, and thanks for all the fish.
- We fill our lives with experience and noise; every new adventure on which we embark promises excitement, action, sometimes chaos. I am thankful for those moments of silence immediately following adventure; the quiet after a child falls asleep, the silence in the morning as the world awakens, the quiet that comes when you first drop into a rising wave, the moments of reflection after a new life experience and you ponder, "I just did that." If action is the key to living, silence is the balance to action.
- I am thankful I have learned not to waste and am able to recycle whatever I can. We bring our reusable bags to the stores for shopping, maintain a small compost bin, and usually attempt to repair or maintain items and appliances rather than throwing them away. In a world that trains us to discard the obsolete, it's hard to make a difference in the waste we produce, but every small effort is one that will extend the life of the planet for future generations. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem! :-)
- I am thankful for the original Bard, William Shakespeare, and the intricacies of his works. He wrote in a way that touched both common and royalty, from comedy to drama to absolute horror, and managed to do so without getting thrown in the Thames. Through Shakespeare I learned not to take life so seriously, that all the sound and fury of life only has the meaning we assign to it, and that the more wise I try to be, the more foolish the effort makes me. Today I strive to wear the face given to me, not make myself another.
- I am thankful I was able to put myself through college, though I wasn't very thankful at the time. Through one Pell grant, four scholarships, two work study jobs, two part time jobs, and 15 credits per semester I was able to work through a 5 year degree in four years on Top Ramen, rice, water, and a steady stream of eviction notices. But I pulled it off, and what I got from it was not so much edumacation, it was experience and broadening of my horizons.
- A big thank you goes out to all the mentors I've had in my life, although sometimes they were disguised as managers, employers, relatives, co-workers, teachers, and even asshole bosses (or so they seemed at the time.) The really good ones took the time to explain not only how to do it right but why it was right. Every task I've learned, from construction of a well written essay to properly stocking a convenience store refrigerator to building construction to the complex intricacies of color theory has enriched the structure and experience of my life, all of which I owe to my mentors. I do my best to pay it forward daily - for those willing to listen. :-)
- Launching this one tonight because I'm leaving very early in the morning for a passion close to my heart, the Surf Park Summit. I am thankful I've always been quick on my feet in bad situations. Many people go into a deadlock, shut down, play the victim, when things take an unexpected turn. I've always been able to turn bad situations into something that, if not positive, can work. It is said that God (whatever you think that is) never gives us more than we can handle. I've learned that we are given these situations to force us to grow. There is only stagnation and desperation in the comfort zone.
- I am thankful for the new opportunity that's has opened to me to be a part of the organization Boys to Men. The few hours a week dedicated to this will be priceless in their lives. Pretty stoked about it and can't wait to get started. :-)
- Thank you all, you that I call FRIENDS. Many people put on a friend face only so far as it is a benefit to themselves; those I know that are true friends mean it to the core and are there when asked (almost never,) ask knowing I will provide without a second's notice, and demonstrate all this with their actions, not empty words. I LOVE YOU ALL, you know who you are!
-
I am thankful I have learned to fish, which has taught me patience, gratitude, and acceptance without fault when things don't go the way I'd like. Many years ago, on a snow-covered, pre-dawn November morning, a friend brought me with him to Howard Prairie Lake on which we paddled his canoe, dropped anchor, and had my first real experience with fishing. The led to many years spent on many lakes, line in the water, reading, pondering, watching, and being one with the universe. I seldom make time for it these days, but the lessons fishing has taught me have enriched my life beyond measure. - So much of my life involves complexities, one dependency on another in multiple layers and if one layer fails the whole thing topples like a house of cards. I am thankful and revel in the simple things, the black and white solutions, the many things throughout the day that are small scale wins: a cup of coffee in the morning, smile on someone's face, hot shower, bike ride to work in the morning, fix of a web site with a single line of code (though finding that line is sometimes one of the aforementioned complexities. :-) ) These are the foundation for the more complex things in life. Life is a party. :-)
- I've made many foolish decisions and done many stupid things in my life, a lot of them life threatening, though I didn't think so at the time. I am thankful that fate has allowed me to survive them, I could have - SHOULD HAVE - been dead many times over. Although there is no growth in the comfort zone, there is a big difference between pushing the envelope and just being stupid. Thank you for letting me live through them to realize the distinction.
- Self fulfilling prophesies are a terrible thing to overcome. I was a red-haired boy (and I still have some of it! :-) ) Every new door I walked through, every grown up I met, every new school I went to, was met with "here comes trouble," "I bet you're going to be a problem," and was always singled out to sit in the punishment corner, sent to the office, and was the first to the paddle when boys do what boys do. Eventually I gave in and became that bad boy. Grown ups are smart, they must know what they're saying, so this is who I must be. I am so thankful that I was able to overcome this prophesy, that nothing that ever happened means anything about who I am today. I hope to share this with the world: do not listen to a single thing anyone tells you, even those close to you, **especially** those voices in your head. They are likely seeking validation for their own experience by instructing you in yours.
- I am thankful for all the events and people who have come together to bring me to San Diego! A lot of it was listening for the signs, a lot of it was alignment of the universe, and even more the people who invited me into their lives. I spend most of my days in bare feet, swim trunks and Hawaiian shirts (which my wife absolutely hates,) instead of boots, shivering under blankets, and scraping ice. And of course, it has re-united me with a passion I'd forgotten for 35 years and thought I would never meet again, surfing . . . . so thankful to live here, in America's Finest City, this is where I belong.
- I have never had a lot of money, some weeks I wonder how we'll cut rent. I am thankful that I am possibly one of the wealthiest men alive, the richness and love in my life exceed anything anyone could ever buy, and my wealth grows every day. The more I work and give, the more the bank grows, that's how it works.
- Thankful for all the positive energy others bring into my life. Below is a picture of the 133+ surfers who donated their time and energy to the Boys to Men organization, putting action behind their words, and being one of them I KNOW how much this took and the dedication required. So glad to be a part!
Boys to Men - This may be a rerun of #30, with a twist: I am thankful for those things in life that push me forward in spite of all odds. I was at about wave 70 in the 100 wave challenge this weekend, wasted tired and considering giving up. I was standing in waist high surf, looking out at the beginning swell of what would become a bone-crushing 5 foot wave, and in front of it was this tiny bird in the water, it looked to be a duck or kingfisher. As the wave built, it's shadow looming over the bird, she realized her plight and took flight across the face of the wave, wings flapping furiously, and I said to myself there's no way that bird is going to make it, it's going to get hammered. As the wave curled over to devour it's tiny prey, out of nowhere this tiny animal turned and dove head-first right into the face of the wave like a bullet and disappeared. I looked over at another surfer and both of us were amazed to witness this tiny animal taking on some 40 tons of water with the ferocity of a lion . . . after the wave crashed, it was back to floating on the water like it was nothing. The ferocity of this tiny bird was all I needed to finish this challenge, back on my board I went. :-)
- I am thankful for the omnipresent force of the universe that gives birth to physical manifestation, not just the realization of its being and the things it brings to us. Humanity has tried to give it many names and made many attempts to interpret it's presence: God, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, the energy I know is too large for a name and takes many forms, I see it everywhere, in every stone, heartbeat, miracle, and breath, and am thankful for it daily.
- Today I am thankful for my pee wee football coach, Louis Aguilar, and the times he put me in the games. I don't follow football these days, that's another story, but for three years I was left defensive end, first string in my last year, but always on the small end of the weight class and was one of the guys who had to eat a meal before the game so I could cut the weight requirement. It wasn't so much the football training I am thankful for, it was his model as a leader and adult male - strong spirited, charismatic, stern but kind, and he showed us what it was like to be an adult man, a scarce commodity in my early life. Thanks Lou, wherever you are!
Categories: About the Art
Add a Comment