I wanted to write this on Thursday, but I was busy getting ready for our small family Thanksgiving gathering. Then I was busy eating and chatting with our guests, Danusia’s niece Kasia and her husband Charles, and our friend Jennifer and her new boyfriend L.J.

Friday I of course wrote about my overnight trip to Northampton, Ma. to see Danusia, and yesterday I was busy catching up on stuff like laundry and shopping. Since I’m all caught up today, I can finally do my gratitude list.

The first thing I’m grateful for is having a new job that gave me the Friday after Thanksgiving off. I don’t think I’ve ever had a job that gave me that. And it’s a pleasant place to work and they buy lunch.

Actually I should have said I’m grateful to be married to my lovely wife Danusia first, since her urging has opened up my life to doing stuff like this, writing and performing. And I’m grateful to my ex-wife for wanting a divorce, since I never would have met Danusia otherwise.

Likewise I’m grateful to THE TANK, as he liked to call himself, my previous boss who made sure I was fired from a toxic place of work. Thank you Mr. Tank.

I’m grateful to live in a nice apartment in a beautiful neighborhood where I can walk to the river and see sunsets like this:

I’m grateful to live close enough to Fairway so I can get my favorite mineral water once or twice a week.

I’m grateful to have a good relationship with my son, Javier who lives so far away I haven’t seen him in a few years. Not so grateful for the distance. But at least I know when we do get together there is no drama or strained emotions the way my relationship with my dad was.

I’m grateful to be able to walk up five flights of stairs faster than some in my building and with a minimum of shortness of breath. I don’t have to stop to catch my breath at every landing.

I’m grateful for my health; most everything still works pretty good, if a little slower.

I’m grateful for all of my friends, people who helped me out when I was out of work by offering work or recommending me to others that needed work done.

I have to mention my friends Janet and Larry and in turn Elly and Eddie. Janet and Larry introduced me to Elly and Eddie who gave me a lot of work last summer.

Grateful to my good friends Jenny and Ezra, for all the love and Ezra for letting me practice driving in his nice car.

Grateful for all of my other friends who read this blog and say nice things about it, and are involved in my life in other ways. They know who they are and I’m glad they are in my life.

I’m grateful to all of the strangers who have stumbled on my blog and have read and commented as well.

I’m grateful I’m alive and not as mad as I used to be. You can take that as a double entendre if you like, but I hope you are grateful too. Or at least think about it.