Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving.....the Little Things




Ahhh.....Thanksgiving! Probably one of my favorite holidays. You can't go wrong with stuffing yourself, watching football and spending time with family.

Don't forget to watch A Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.....a classic.

http://abc.go.com/shows/a-charlie-brown-thanksgiving

On this holiday we always give thanks in our lives for many things. Here are the top 10 things I am thankful for other than my family and friends, a roof over my head, food and good health. These top ten things are those little things you don't really think about, but they are all important in some way.

In no particular order and at random, I am thankful for........

1. Getting up for work. Why you say? Because I have a job to get up for. This year, there is a lot to complain about in my work environment. However, I feel fortunate to be able to provide for my family. At the end of the day I'm sitting in my home with my family.....the things that really matter.

2. Finding toys scattered around the house. I know what you parents are thinking. Half of the time we want to take these toys and bag them up and take them to Goodwill. However, one of these days we'll miss it. I still remember back to before the kiddos when our house was clean........it was awesome. However, I'll take the messes and the kiddos. My family is what keeps me sane half of the time.I'm tempted to invest in some housecleaning though.

3. Being the positive adult role-model in the lives of today's children. Teachers have power. Like yesterday for me, we want to sometimes take that power to choke them and poke them with a cattle prod. However, there's something about getting those little notes from kids or having them come back to visit you years later that makes teaching all worthwhile. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to transform this generation into a society that takes care of me in my "geezer" age.

4. Toilet paper. Yes, you heard me, it's hard to think of life without it. However, living in a house of females I should invest in toilet paper stock. I mean seriously.......

5. Music. What would our world be without it? Can you imagine a movie without it (Breaking Dawn could have left it out)? A bar without karaoke or a jukebox? Christmas without the classics?

6. Smiles. Whether it's walking down the street and acknowledging a stranger, walking in the door to find your kids beaming, or the first little grin of a baby, smiles just make you feel good. However, there is that smile that a wife gives you that says....."You can do that if you want, but you won't get any for an eternity".

7. Old People. They say it how it is, their knowledge and stories are incredible, and they're what is left of a generation and time that is greatly missed.

8. Sports. Yes....most of you ladies can complain all you want about us men watching our sports and playing fantasy. However, it's real, brings people together, and helps us sport's freaks survive the rigorous nature of life. Nuff said.

9. Good drivers, because bad drivers suck and they bring out my road rage.  To the jerks who speed up as you try to pass,  pass at the last second when two lanes converge, drive 10 mph under the speed limit, text while they drive while eating food, drive drunk, etc..........friggin' stay home.

10. People who are intelligent and socially skilled. Thank you. Ignorant people drive me nuts. There are too many people in the "Upper Realms" of all fields that are ignorant. In education it's all about who you know and jumping through red tape. There are too many educators out there that are fabulous that never make it to these upper positions (like most jobs). For our world's sake......let's hope this changes. Unfortunately, the texting generation is missing a lot of these social skills, work ethic, and basic intelligence (in my opinion). I'm hoping they prove me wrong as time goes on.

There are many more where these 10 came from, but these are some of the first things that came to mind. Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone! As you are sitting on that couch with turkey in your belly putting you to sleep remember those little things or the things you don't normally think about.

Take care everyone,
Josiah