I guess one could....should...begin by expressing thanks to have been born in and to live in this beautiful country of ours. I am fortunate to have seen much of it and it just so happens I reside in one of its safest, quietest, most gorgeous regions. I live near the ocean, near mountains, quaint New England hamlets, and Portland...one of the coolest little cities on a harbor you'll ever visit. Although my foreign travel has been limited, I am sure that there is no place with the breadth of beauty or rich intertwining of cultures, ethnicity, arts and people as the good ol' US.
And possibly the greatest freedom I possess by living in this country is the right to be extremely unhappy about its direction as it limps, crawls and whines into the future. We are, my friends, truly paralyzed by greed, partisan politics, superficiality, special interests and pervasive denial, apathy, and ignorance. The younger generation seems more obsessed with celebrity and self-indulgence than with the conscience and activism of my generation. This greed and paralysis are affecting my life directly and, more importantly, they negatively affect millions of other Americans without a recognizable glimmer of concern or hope that common sense can override the unscrupulous behavior of those with power.
And, is it me or does abuse and neglect of children, the elderly, animals, tradition, God, civility, and the environment seem to be on the increase and largely ignored other than with the empty, temporary rhetoric of those who want our attention while they could be making a difference? Pedophiliac priests get transferred and defended, Michael Vick makes millions being a sports hero, people go without medical attention they need but can't afford, gasoline prices are increasing now without the slightest weak attempt at justification, global warming continues as our cars and houses depend on the greedy oil industry...much of it foreign. Wind power? "Oh no! It might affect my view! See there? Just beyond my Hummer?" Investments are made for quick profits instead of creating industry and jobs...for those who lose their homes...those who need an MRI...those who can't save for college...for those who just wish they could afford a restaurant. But the unctuous, self-important brats on Wall Street suck down their martinis in style....with bonuses paid from our pockets by way of government bailouts. It's just nuts. I am certainly not thankful for being symbolically associated with these people.
No, I'm thankful for living here, for the life of good fortune I've been given and for all the great folks...Americans...I have known and shared my life with. I have viewed the sunset on the Wabash, Key West, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Big Sur, the hills above San Diego, and the Grand Canyon. I attended a Mexican wedding reception in Los Angeles, drank coffee at a sleepy Texas gas station table, drank Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans, and a salty margarita on a Santa Fe rooftop. It's this country I'm thankful to be a part of....but not it's government or it's ultimate, insidious power structures.
Mostly, I am thankful for much simpler things...
...for my parents...my relatively normal parents...who left me with minimal neuroses, good genes and opportunities to succeed...to struggle..and to succeed again...
...for my brain...which has allowed me to be educated...to have a career that both suits me and is rewarding..and allows me a lifestyle that indulges my otherwise lazy nature...
...for the people who shaped me...influenced me...dear friends now departed...and those special ones who made me smile...big smiles...wide-eyed, red-cheeked grins...and who made my eyes both water and shine...and a few others who made me scream with delight...
...for food...that I am blessed to afford, creative enough to cook well, and healthy enough to enjoy...and we'll throw in booze, coffee, and really, really good Danish here as well...
...for music...the soundtrack of my life...the dancing, the crying, the singing, the playing...
...for my fingers....guitar...writing...touching...
...and for my dogs....Susie, Mike, Baby, Fred, SusieII, Lucas, Saffron, Cory, Danny, Shamus, Nora, Jakey, Fozzie, Maxie...and Rusty. They have entertained me, sustained me...saved me...
...and for you...you know who you are...for touching my heart as only you can...
Time for pie!
