This is a Thanksgiving post from November 2013 but the message still holds strong 7 years later.
So many things going on and we haven’t even hit the crazy holiday season yet. I am already getting paranoid about not getting every-thing done. The reason my newsletter is so late this month is be-cause I really wasn’t in the mood to write it. I was wondering if anyone would even miss it? Everyone thinks I’m this fun loving, high tone, go getter kind of guy, always upbeat, well I’m not feeling it right now. Writing a cute little upbeat, tongue in cheek newsletter is torture when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, nevermind go to work.
We live in times of non stop bad news… bankrupt govern-ments, crooked politicians, recession, depression, oppres-sion, obsession, over taxation, health care, sickness and cancer. Hatred among countries, hatred within countries, Ponzi schemes, immigration, social security… we worry about bills, mortgages, credit cards, debt. I could fill this whole page with this crap.
I have owned a small business for over 27 years now. There is rarely a minute that goes by that I am not
concerned about everything that goes on in this little world of mine. Are we going to have enough work? Are we doing enough for our customers to make them want to come here? Can we provide enough for the families of our workers? How do we keep up with the high tech changes in our industry? What is the real story with health care? Will the economy support our customer’s businesses? Will there be a profit? If there is a profit, where will we get the money to pay the tax?
And this is before I get out of bed!
Breathe, man, breathe! Ok, make some coffee, grab the paper and take your mind off things for a few minutes before going to work, right? Bad move!
Death, deceit, destruction, robbery, scandal, unrealistic lawsuits and poverty dominate the day’s stories.
Shit, at least we have the sports section, flip the paper over for some relief… steroids, bullying, contract disputes with mind blowing numbers. Arghhh, go to work man!
So, there are many days when I ask myself, “What should I be thankful for?”
This is what I do… I stop everything and regroup.
I know you think this is just fluff for a newsletter, but I am telling you the God’s honest truth, this is what I have to do. I stop every-thing going on in my mind and run through these things. Sometimes it is while sitting in traffic, but anywhere quiet works. I put all the bad shit aside for a few minutes and think about these things…
… I woke up, I have a bed, a wonderful wife, a roof and heat. I was able to get up on my own, walk into my bathroom and take a hot shower. I had coffee and a paper. My dogs were happy to see me. I walk past my daughter’s rooms and think about how I was able to provide them with the necessities of a nice child-hood. My home is secure and my family is safe. My family is healthy. I have clean drinking water. There are no invaders from another land knocking down my door or dropping bombs on my neighborhood. I think of the friends that I have. My car starts and I am able to get gas for it. I don’t want for food. In fact, I am not sure whether to stop for a bagel or an egg sandwich this morning. I am employed. I have people around me that I can count on and people that count on me. I help create jobs, jobs that help people acquire some of the good things mentioned above.
I could go on and on, but the fact is that I have been blessed to have been born on Long Island and not the middle of a third world coun-try! I have been blessed with a capable mind and body. I am blessed to have my family, friends, fellow workers, customers, the lady who smiles at me while I hold the door for her, my mailman, gas attendant, my computer, my TV….
Wow, maybe I should be thankful!
Giving thanks should be done more than once a year. You shouldn’t need a day off or a turkey to remind you. If you need the symbolic turkey, stop in the morning and get turkey and egg whites on whole wheat.
This year go beyond the ceremonial 10 seconds of thanks while everyone is passing around the mashies, really think about what you should really be thankful for, you will feel better for sure!
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Dave Bloom