Gratitude

2018 was challenging in a lot of ways… I won’t list them because it would be a long novel that would make you cry, but 2018 is almost in the rear-view mirror and I need to thank some folks.

First, my wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2018 and took a two-week trip to Greece. I’ve had incredible adventures with her over the years, and our trip to Greece has been a goal for us for a long time. She works long hours every week, week after week. As Director of HR for a Native American tribe she deals with office and sometimes ugly tribal politics like a championship fighter – maybe not easily, but definitely effectively. She handles our budget, and she does a good job staying grounded. I’ve learned how to be an adult thanks to her.

I’m thankful for my granddaughters and their parents. My son is one hard-working man with a job that keeps him on the road during the week and only home on the weekends. He’s done it for years and he sticks with it because he’s building a great future for his family. His wife is the ultimate mom. She has loads of patience, and takes to parenting like a fish to water. Raising kids, working full time, and maintaining a household seems effortless for her. They are remarkable parents in a world where parenting might be a dying art.

The grand babies are amazing little humans. They are beautiful, smart, healthy, calm, and thoughtful. They taught me what unconditional love means. They showed me parts of my heart that I never knew existed. They are my primary inspiration. I want to be healthy as I get older, both physically and mentally, which is why I started exercising at the gym almost two years ago and pushing myself to learn new skills. I intend to watch them grow up into adults and become fantastic at whatever they put their minds to. I just want to watch, help, and support them any way I can.

I’m also grateful for the company for which I work. It is a very progressive company in a very conservative industry. I’ve grown as a person working for there, and I attribute that to the people who have inspired and helped me the most (last names excluded); Andres, Mark, Teresa, Scott, Alex, Jason, Raja, and plenty of others. Getting paid pretty well, having good benefits, and a flexible schedule are perks too.

Something else I’m grateful for over the last year is that I got to see Gary Numan twice (the first time was last December for my birthday, thank you Allyn!), and again with friends Scott and Tommy in OKC. Numan is someone I’ve listened to my whole life, and to finally see him checks off a box on the bucket list. And what a show! Both venues were small and personal. The sound was mixed perfectly. The lighting was excellent. I’m incredibly happy to have seen him.

I’m thankful for a lot of people in my life in addition to those I’ve mentioned here. I didn’t even say anything about my own mom (best in the world!), or my in-laws, or my friends. I owe them all a debt of gratitude too.

Getting older and seeing more of life behind me than in front of me gives me perspective on how I want my shortening future to look. The people around me are crucial. So, thank all of you!