Thanks for the mammaries...

I am completely unable to put out a better list than TILAM about "things to be thankful for", I will instead add my 2 cents:

My Health: I'm lucky. I'm able to work out 5 or 6 days a week, keeping in shape and good condition despite being on the nother end of 40. Put it this way, 3 years ago when my team won the Alpharetta GA softball championship, I led the team in home runs with 11 in 9 games - and I only hit ONE ball over the fence. I feel almost bad when I see disabled people, as there but for the grace of God go I. That is why I do my best to treat them normally - it's what they want.

My Family: I have wonderful parents who are still alive, vibrant, and healthy. I have a great brother who has been my best friend all my adult life. I have a fantastic wife, lunatic teenage children to make any parent proud, and a great floppy eared great dane pooch. And another little Thew on the way (although we don't know if it's a mr or miss Thew yet).

My Friends: Tilam has been my closest friend for wow, over 20 years. T-Dub has been my best female friend for way less time, but we share a bond of maturity, intelligence (umm, sort of), a love for gaming, sci-fi and fantasy, and the fact that we'd like to WHACK so many people with the CLUE hammer (otherwise known as "common sense"). Gus, not in this blog, has been my best golfing buddy for more years than he'd care to admit. If you can go through life with MAYBE 3 true friends that you can count on, you're ahead of the game. I have that, and I'm a better man for it.

My Work: I work for a great company (I've worked for some real clusterf**ks in the past) whose focus is on SUCCESS. Period. Let's do what need to do to be successful, both with our customers and ourselves. No politics, No infighting, just a great work environment.

Activies: not boredom. But, as Thew likes to say, "sometimes doing nothing is doing something". I have plenty of things to keep my mind occupied as well as my body. But even the ability to sit in front of the TV and watch On-Demand and nothing else is nice.

Freedom: as an adult, I have the singular ability to just pick up and go, where I want and when I want. Little planning to house the dog, get time off, and BAM, I'm outta here. Literally ANYWHERE in the world if I want. Freedom of time, and Freedom of money. It's a nice feeling.

My Faith: Here is where I'm thankful but also concerned. I am human, and I have my human doubts. I envy Tilam his surety of faith, surety of connection, and surety of his God. I do not have that - perhaps I will find it, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong way. I hope this clears as I get older.

Small Challenges...Small Moments...Yes.

My Fellow Woman...without whom I'd have to either become self-sufficient or gay, neither of which an attractive option.

LIFE: the greatest gift given to me by God. It's a great thing, to be alive. It's a good and exciting time to be alive. All in All, I'd rather be alive than dead (my destiny in heaven outside this equation). Highs, Lows, Angry, Sad, experiencing life and all that goes into it is pretty cool. I'd love to live for 500 years...