Some Thoughts On Gratitude For Thanksgiving

The older brother of a close friend once tagged me with the nickname "Grateful", as in Grateful Dead. The name stuck with me in certain circles long after 1995. Today, I am still grateful. I have so much to be thankful for that it is overwhelming. My wife, son, two dogs, a home, a car, a chance to go back to college to finish my degree... I could go on and on. I've lost a lot in life but I don't count my losses. I am thankful that those who have passed on were a part of my life for as long as they were. Thanksgiving is a time of year when America celebrates excess and prepares for Christmas shopping. For those of us outside of the realm of American "normalcy", it is a time to reflect on what we have and to be thankful for it. Consider it a counting of your blessings, something you should do everyday and not just one day a year.
I have been blessed with a wife who supports me in my skateboarding endeavors. She knows firsthand just how much rolling on four urethane wheels means to me. Before she got me a board for my 34th birthday, I was overweight and suffering from fatty liver disease. After a year of being back on board my liver enzymes were normal and my doctor at the time advised me to "keep doing what you're doing". Easy enough. All I was doing was skateboarding, drinking plenty of water, and loving life. Today, I am by no means in the best shape I could be in, but I am in better shape both physically and mentally than I have ever been in my life. I have my wife, my son, and close friends to thank for this.

One of my close friends is a skateshop owner. While his brick and mortar location is a now just a memory, he still continues to provide for the skateboarding community in our area by providing prizes for contests and events and by supporting any and all skateboarding events that come our way. He has proved that you can be a successful cybershop owner and he has global customers, which has earned him the nickname "Worldwide".
When "Worldwide" saw my recent wheel dilemma, he stepped up to help me out and keep me rolling. Why? Because he knows how much I love skateboarding and he knows how much I liked the product that failed me.
This Thanksgiving, and everyday for that matter, let us reflect on just how lucky we are. Lucky to be alive, to (still) be skating, to have loving families, and the countless other "things" in our lives that we are fortunate to have that so many go without everyday. I'll be skateboarding as long as I am able to. And I will do so with the help of family and friends.
For this I am Grateful.