"I've got plenty to be thankful for..."

[ReverendMike]

Warning: saccharin alert!!

At this time of year I am required to watch certain movies in the name of household harmony. One of them is "Holiday Inn" wherein Bing sings about all he has to be thankful for. Though our 'official' day of thanks in this country is over, I'm starting this thread anyway.

Sailway inspired this with a comment on the AFOC thread so (without permission) I'll excerpt it here:

... the guy owns a boat for God's sake. Right now the guy's who've got it rough are the guy's over in Iraq and Afghanistan. The only boat they've got is an LST, and that's only if they're jarheads. Tgiving is two weeks gone, christmas is a few away, and they're not going to spend one single minute with their family or friends. And while not making hardly any money at all they are going to keep that rug-merchant on the run and risk death doing so. And for every one of them you'll see on TV saying Hi, Mom during the football game, there'll be a thousand more out eating dirt someplace so somebody back here can bitch about the NFL network not being part of basic cable. My life is just simply fantastic, thanks largely to the sacrifices those brave young men are making. And, as far as I'm concerned, the least i can do is look around and focus on my blessings, which if I really dwell on it, are legion. And tomorrow, and hopefully the rest of my tomorrows, i'll try just a little bit to be humble and actually show some humility, because far better men than me are risking far more than I.

And I've got a patriotic duty to perform here my ownself. It's to express an attitude of thankfullness for all i've been given, not the least of which has come from men such as these and their predecessors, and to try my damndest to make sure that our country remains one worthy of such sacrifice.

Problems? Hell, I ain't got no problems.

So, my blessings are (in part):
-a job which is neither onerous nor difficult
-a house which is too large for my needs, but not too expensive for my means
-a wife who is more wonderful than I could possibly deserve (don't tell her I said that!)
-dependable electricity to my house (barring ice storms)
-drinkable water from my taps (credit to DJ for mentioning it first)
-more leisure time than most (other than Europeans)
-more hobbies than leisure time can handle
-more food choices in my pantry than a body needs
-good health
-the ability to recognize that I have much to be thankful for (which I only recently realized should not be taken for granted!)

In rural MO, poverty is a bit more obvious than in some other places in the US. But even from those living in run-down mobile homes, there's less complaining about life's misery than from some Sailnet members.

To quote a phrase: "Problems? Hell, I ain't got no problems."

[xort]

I remember in sociology class WAY back when, the teach talked about poverty being relative to your suroundings. If you don't have as much as your neighbor, you don't feel as rich as he does. It was a homer simpson Doohhh moment. I think there's a lot of people who should be slapped upside the head who don't appreciate exactly how good they have it.

[TrueBlue]

Rehashing the old cliche' "One man's floor = another man's ceiling" analogy are we?

[ReverendMike]

TB,
Perhaps, or perhaps some of us need to think a bit more about what we have and a bit less about what we don't have. Tormenting oneself over what the other guy has that you don't have is a waste of time from the start and stupid soon after. (and historically, a leading cause of wars)

(or maybe my post was just a knee-jerk reaction to having had my fill of Eeyore)

[sailingdog]

Well said Mike... though I recommend you tell your better half how much you appreciate her.

[DJEVANS]

Who was it that said, "Happiness isn't having what you want, it's being happy with what you've got?"

That's a favorite of mine, something I'm trying very hard to teach my children.

[Valiente]

I found a guy fretting and cursing on his foredeck because some $100 chromed part wasn't the RIGHT $100 chromed part, and I said in passing: "I know where you're coming from, but if you told 99% of the planet's population that your biggest problem today was trying to install the wrong padeye on your yacht, that's a pretty good problem to have."

[ReverendMike]

Very nice additions all, thank you for contributing to this sickeningly sweet thread. Hopefully we aren't creating a diabetes problem here on Sailnet....
SD- I do tell her, I just don't need her hearing it from you guys....
DJ- Yes, contentment is nice, but it can lead to lethargy. A fine line, I suppose.

[sailortjk1]

I admit it, I am a sick puppy.
I fall into the catagory of, "The more I have, the more I want."

I know, not a very healthy way to live.
I really am grateful for all that I have, and I have more than I need........
But I want more.

Just kidding, I am very happy with what I have.
I have everything and more than I ever imagined I would have, but it still is not enough.

Just jokeing. I am very happy., But I could use some more crap that I don't really need.

[AjariBonten]

Originally Posted by DJEVANS

Who was it that said, "Happiness isn't having what you want, it's being happy with what you've got?"

That's a favorite of mine, something I'm trying very hard to teach my children.

DJ, while she may not have originated the sentiment or the quote; you're probably remembering that line from Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up The Sun" a top 40 hit about 5 years ago.

I was gonna post that exact same thing; an even more important sentiment during this time (Christma$$ $hopping Madne$$) of year!