Reflection #28 (Only 1048 to go!): On Giving Thanks

    Give thanks for what you have. If I were a different person, I might stop right there and close the blog, but being me, I proceed.
    On Thanksgiving, I gave each of my kids a wooden sign that said, "Be thankful". As I reflected on the complexity of that simple statement, I realized that our ability to do so is deeply interwoven with all that we are...our family, our friends and what standard we use to measure our blessings.
    Being thankful is really a choice that we can make or not make. A few years ago, I read a quote whose author, regrettably, I can’t recall. It read, “True wealth is not determined by how much we have, but by how little we need.”  We’ve all heard of the artist who, having been born without arms, learned to paint by holding the brush with his/her toes. When I was a youngster, a popular dancer on TV variety shows (the precursor to “American Idol” and “Dancing With The Stars”) was a man named “Peg-leg Bates”, for obvious reasons. I suspect that most of us would find such infirmities limiting; I know that I would.

    Also intertwined with the level of gratitude we feel in our life is how we determine whether our life has been “ successful”. This, I’m sure, is more likely to be done by old-timers like me.
    In my case, I'm inclined to be introspective, and retirement, along with my chosen activity...wood-scrolling, has given me the time to reflect.  One result has been to formulate an overly simplified view of success. Actually, I have concluded that "success" itself is a hypothetical construct*. (*Look it up)
    When I was a young man, “success” was defined by whether my group of 16-year-old athletes could put a ball in the basket more often than some other fellows group could. (Frankly, in retrospect that seems rather silly.)
    One of Frank Raispis’ favorite sayings is, “You pays your dime, and you takes your chances.” That’s Frank’s version of, “It (Life) is what it is”.
    A year or so ago, I saw an alum who had retired from an executive position in a corporation to work for the Chicago Food Depository. He saw that as being more important than simply accruing more wealth.
    More recently, Bob Gabric said that he isn't concerned about being acknowledged for his efforts as a coach and teacher because he wasn't doing it for the appreciation he might receive. He did it because that's what he chose to do with his life.
    All three of those men have lead very successful their lives. They do not measure their success by their wealth or the perceived success of others. They’re not in competition with anyone else; only themselves.
    Granted, being a better teacher, businessman or coach may have given them a measuring stick to determine their progress, but that was just a tool, not a goal.
    By the way, THANK YOU!