Here is a rundown of just some of the things for which I am truly and deeply thankful this year. I realize it's a bit long, but as Roberto Benigni said, "It is a sign of mediocrity to demonstrate gratitude with moderation."
I am thankful for the abundance of good things in my life, such as...
Abundance of opportunity. I am thankful to have multiple jobs that I love and countless opportunities to use my position, knowledge, and experience to improve the lives of others. At the most basic level, this is all I ever wanted. I'm still working on perfecting the details, but I am grateful for what I have.Abundance of friends. Social media keeps me connected with loved ones who are far away, and my varied and numerous job duties have led me to many new friends. I cannot express enough appreciation for these new friends, many of whom have supported me in substantial ways with my work duties. The mere existence of these people has reminded me that miracles are normal and unexpected blessings can happen every day.
Abundance of money. Though it rolls in and out like the tides, financial security is a major bright side to the fact that I spend nearly every waking moment working. I may not have a lot of extra, but I have enough for my family's needs and that's perfect.
Abundance of good influences. This year has inspired some of the greatest personal growth of my life, which I credit to good friends, good mentors, and good books.
Abundance of love. All of the previous entries on this list really boil down to one thing -- the constant stream of love that flows through me continually, in and out as regularly as the sunrise. Love is abundant in all areas of my life and it forms the basis of all my gratitude.
I am thankful for my things, such as...
My house which is my favorite home ever, my car which is my favorite car ever, my bike which is my favorite bike ever, my bass guitars which are my favorite guitars ever, my computers which are my favorite computers ever...and so on, and so on....Most of all, I am thankful for the amazing people in my life, such as...
Avery for being my best buddy and the coolest kid I know.Michelle for taking such excellent care of me, Avery, and our home. I honestly don't know how we would get by without her.
Carol Keeth for being my personal nurse consultant when my health isn't great, and one of my very best friends all the time. I literally cannot enumerate all of the meaningful things she has done for me and my family over the years.
Antigone Sharris for being my mentor and sharing her secrets on how she works the miracles that make her department such a huge success.
Jean Dugo for helping me find the data I need in order to make informed decisions, and for regularly reminding me that I'm never alone and always have someone around to help if I just reach out and ask.
Jennifer Davidson, my new boss, for being a truly motivational leader and a tremendous source of support in times of need. I find that my fear of letting her down far outweighs my fear of any sort of reprimand.
Sandy Poremba, for saving my butt more times than I can count...even as recently as this week!
Rami Salahieh for opening new doors in my career and allowing me to do the same for him. Also for lending mutual support in dealing with the needless frustrations inflicted by our mutual employer (who shall remain nameless for that is contrary to the point of this post).
Dawn Brokaw for being an outstanding long-distance friend. I never know how to express my appreciation for the tiny morsels of kindness and encouragement that she sprinkles throughout my weeks or our unique, almost sibling-like bond. I haven't seen her in about 13 years but that fact has done little to hinder our friendship.
Ralph Normington, on the subject of long-distance friends, for remaining my friend even though it sometimes takes me several days to respond to his messages. When an impatient person chooses to be patient with you, that means something!
Steve Santello for the various ways that he has boosted my career over the years, from giving advice to helping me think things through to offering me exciting teaching opportunities. I can't even count them all.
Natalie Waksmanski for being a great mentee (formerly) and a great friend. I was honored to be a guest at her wedding reception last weekend. I wish her a lifetime of happiness in all areas of her life.
Mary Ann Fleming for her immense generosity. She has given so much of herself for the good of me, my family, and many others who are fortunate enough to know her. If I lived for 128 years, I would not have enough resources to repay all of her kindness.
Carl Hultquist for bringing decades of love and happiness to my family. His funeral was on Thanksgiving Eve this year. He will be missed.
If pets are people too, I must include April and Zeena. April is one of my favorite pets ever and I appreciate her grace, patience, gentleness, elegance, and natural beauty. She's the biggest and friendliest spider I've ever known and I love her dearly. I'm still getting to know Zeena, but I already appreciate her impressive physical feats, her adorable timidity, and her gorgeous markings.
As I've written this list, I have realized the utter impossibility of listing everyone for whom I have sincere, heartfelt gratitude. I could go on all night: Judy and Roger McVey, Jill LoBianco, Dan Mottert, John Owrey, Mo Habeeb, Rathi Ramakrishnan, Patty Hultquist, Janet and Lloyd Rahn, Karina Martin, Humberto Espino, Tim Nystrom, Eric Morton, Tanvi Bhatt, Deb Baker, Katy McGuinness, Lauren Kosrow, my entire program assessment subcommittee, the group of dedicated faculty who report to me, the many people who support me in my leadership and teaching roles, my treasured extended family, my social media friends...the list goes on and on. I can't possibly mention everyone!
Perhaps I should just summarize it all with an expression of thanks for the seemingly infinite blessings in my life. "Count your blessings" is an oft-repeated bit of advice, but mine are too numerous to count. That's a great problem to have.
