The simple fact is, I’m very, very grateful.<\/p>\n
Last night I was talking with somebody who has a lot of the same problems in his life that I do. They grind him down and I think he’s becoming (or more likely long ago became) very bitter.<\/p>\n
I was bitter when I was young. I’d be lying if I said things don’t get me down, even now. I’ve bled all over these blog pages often enough that you surely know I get depressed, frustrated, head-banging, angry, sad, and all the other dreary etceteras of life. More than once — heck, more than 1,000 times — I’ve wanted to chuck it all and become a hermit in a cave. <\/p>\n
Okay, a warm, well-furnished cave with a harmonious color scheme, beautiful art, fabulous garage-sale finds, and a sufficient number of large dogs. But a cave, more or less. Where nobody could find me and nobody would ever hear of me again.<\/p>\n
But really, when I’m not on one of Those Moods, I’m grateful. And — to my surprise — happier and healthier than I’ve ever been in my life.<\/p>\n
It’s a relief to get this far and realize that (barring some bonk on the head that changes my personality for the worse) I’m not going to age into miserable curmudgeonhood.<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, that’s one of the things I’m grateful for.<\/p>\n
Along with:<\/p>\n
A world full of friendly supporters and “friends I’ve never met” — not to mention some I actually have<\/i> met<\/p>\n
A sense of humor<\/p>\n
The best comment section any blog ever had<\/p>\n
Being able to work from home<\/p>\n
Gewurtztraminer in an elegant ($5 for 4 at a flea market) glass<\/p>\n
That the Bill of Rights still exists as a model and a beacon, even if it’s being battered to ruins<\/p>\n
Backwoods Home<\/i><\/p>\n
That we aren’t going quietly into tyranny<\/p>\n
A couple of friends who recently got me through One Of Those Moods (you reading this, J and K?)<\/p>\n
The dogs, of course<\/p>\n
And even the cat, though grudgingly because I’m not willing to admit she could turn me into a cat person<\/p>\n
Library books<\/p>\n
Netflix<\/p>\n
The ‘Net, which makes so much possible<\/p>\n
That when my old favorite actor, Johnny Depp, quit being a real original and resorted to just doing “Johnny Depp schtick,” Rhys Ifans rose to take his place<\/p>\n
Pastels, colored pencils, and beautiful papers<\/p>\n
Greenery, of which the NorthWET has such abundance<\/p>\n
I could go on. And on. And that, too, is something to be grateful for.<\/p>\n
Yeah, life sucks sometimes and government sucks most all the time. And sometimes our own temperament defeats us. But I am so glad this choice is here — to be grateful even in the midst of suckage. And to find that simple gratitude helps blow the suckage into mist. In my best moments, I suspect that gratitude and some of the inner strengths that go with it could even play a role in blowing government away.<\/p>\n
And you are grateful for …?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The simple fact is, I’m very, very grateful. Last night I was talking with somebody who has a lot of the same problems in his life that I do. They grind him down and I think he’s becoming (or more likely long ago became) very bitter. I was bitter when I was young. I’d be lying if I said things don’t get me down, even now. I’ve bled all over these blog pages often enough that you surely know I get depressed, frustrated, head-banging, angry, sad, and all the other dreary etceteras of life. More than once — heck, more…<\/p>\n