Every year around Thanksgiving I usually remember that I have spent the last year complaining about all of the things that upset me and that I perceive are going wrong in my life. And every year at Thanksgiving I have to force myself to be thankful for the things that are going well in my life. Because there are quite a number of things that I am thankful for.

In no particular order:

Smurf –

Smurf is the singularly most important thing to me in my life right now. I have legitimately no idea what I would do without him. I am not sure how I would have gotten through the last two years of all the bad shit that’s gone down and come out on the other side the way that I am. He is my rock, he is my pillar, he is my son. We have our ups and downs, I haven’t done the best job training him, he doesn’t listen all the time, he isn’t 100% potty trained, and he makes it hard for me to do everything I want to do whenever I want to do it. Despite all of this, despite his intense hatred for cuddling, he is patient with me, he is kind to me and he tries to spend as much time with me as I will let him. He is honestly the only thing in my life that I can 100% rely on to be there for me – mostly because he needs to pee and poo and eat treats, but still, I’m counting it. It breaks my heart that he is by himself on Thanksgiving and that I had to leave him to the care of strangers for the holiday. I miss him already and I’ve only away from home for 2.5 hours. Take care of yourself buddy.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I wrote this top part in November 2015 when I was flying home for Thanksgiving. I never got around to finishing it, but believe that it is important that I finish. It is important for me to verbalize the good in my life.

In continuing the importance of Smurf in my life, I do not really know how much more there is to add. I wish I was a better dad to him often because I do not think I bring as much joy to him as he brings to me. It seems inequitable sometimes and I refuse to fall into the trap of taking him for granted.

Financial Stability –

This is something that I have not really full appreciated until recently. I have always had a skewed perception of money. I am confident enough in my professional ability and marketability that I do not believe that I will ever not have gainful employment. I believe that my skill set, and ability to humble myself will allow me to find employment whenever I really truly need it. That being said, one of my personal financial goals was to achieve a position in life where I wouldn’t need to worry about the amount of money I spend. I have achieved that for now and that has allowed me to really apply myself towards other goals and mental masturbation. It has allowed me the freedom to try and gain a real direction in my life and has relieved a huge portion of stress from everyday life. This is something that I am constantly thankful for. I believe that it is the single most important factor in my ability to spend time and energy on myself to be able to flesh out my beliefs and goals for the future.

It is arguably the most important threshold to cross in any person’s life. I could probably go on about this topic for a while, but I don’t think this is the right place. I am thankful that I have crossed that threshold for my personal needs and am aware of the impact that it has had on my ability to be happy and grow.

My Family and Friends –

This is a typical thing that people are thankful for, but that doesn’t change the fact that I wish to acknowledge the fact that I am thankful for them. My family and friends are the reasons I am able to push myself harder and further. They are the launching pad for my ambition, and my parachute for when things fail. They are everything I could wish for, and everything that I need. The reasons for this are very individual and deeply personal and I don’t feel like sharing them all with you. Deal.

Kindness –

I think it is important to recognize the difference between friendship, family and kindness. I am thankful for all of the kindness and love that happens around me. It does not need to be directed at me, or even directed at anyone I know. I am grateful that there are kind people who exist. They make the struggle for improving the Human Condition worth it. They are the reason I choose to believe that all of the horribleness, misery and depravity in the world will lose.

Elon Musk –

This is probably a really weird thing for me to include in my list of things to be grateful for, but I feel like I need to include it. Elon Musk is the example of who I strive to be. I am not going to pretend that I have the ability to change the world in the fashion that he has, but his approach to the Human Condition and the need to improve it should be an inspiration to more people. He is singlehandedly changing the face of the fossil fuel and space industries. He is the single driving force behind the growth of those two sectors with the single minded goal of extraterrestrial life for humans. His belief in the unsustainability of the path human history is taking has driven him to create sustainable industry in two loosely related fields as a way to compensate. Maybe it’s all marketing, but his dedication to the improvement of the future of humanity should be applauded by everyone.

Unrestrained excitement –

I recently made a rather sizeable purchase on a boardgame. It’s Star Wars related. It’s also RPG related. I got to play the Empire. I used Darth Vader to kill another player. Hopefully soon I will get to summon Boba Fett. I was 1 round away from using an AT-ST. There are sooo many cards in the game, and card sleeves, and tokens and maps and leveling and decks and options. So, so many options.

I nerded out so hard. I felt like a kid again. I was so happy.

These are the moments in life that need to be embraced and cherished. It’s not about doing what everyone else is doing. It’s not about doing things because you are supposed to, or not doing things because you think you’re not supposed to. It was here that I realized what I guess I’ll call my New York Epiphany 4.

Life is about finding moments of pure joy and trying to fill your life with as many of those as possible. No matter how they come or where they come from. Unless you’re some psychopath from all the TV shows ever. Then don’t enjoy yourself. Lock yourself in your room.

That’s all I got for now.

Be grateful friends, there is so much to be thankful for.

It is literally everywhere.