Yesterday was Thanksgiving and living in the USA, in California, and specifically the North Bay we are all very fortunate. There are so many places in the world where people lead more difficult lives. There are over 8 billion people in the world, many of whom don’t have the benefit of things we take for granted like clean air and water, or having enough food. They don’t have the opportunities that we have in our democratic, capitalist society. Maybe your political party won in the last election and you feel pretty good right now. Maybe your party lost. Don’t despair, there will be more elections. You have the right to free speech, and opportunities to have your voice heard without having to worry about ‘falling’ out of a window or getting poisoned, and aside from the American issues with guns our homeland is relatively safe. With the exception of the gun debacle, I am thankful for all of the above.
Every day I’m thankful for my family, friends and clients. I’m thankful for the community I live in here in Marin County. I’m thankful to live near Mount Tamalpias, even if I don’t ride my bike or hike on the mountain anymore. I get my exercise surfing our beautiful beaches, for which I am grateful. People are down on San Francisco because of the homeless population, crime and drugs. There are still many awesome places waiting to be enjoyed in the City; like Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park, Japantown, Chinatown and so much more! It’s not hard to think of things and places in the City we will always love.
If you are healthy, you should be grateful. If you are sick, I’m sorry and wish you a speedy recovery, but I’m grateful we have access to the miracles of modern medicine. Yeah, those miracles are too expensive and should be made accessible to all citizens. Life is not perfect though, and neither is our country or society. It’s all about perspective though. Living in Marin County we’ve got it very good. I am eternally grateful.