Head Tale

Went out to Indian Head today for an early Thanksgiving supper with Shea’s parents and my parents plus us and the kids.

And since it’s that time of the year, here’s a list…

10 Things I’m Thankful For

1. That we get to have Thanksgiving supper with all four grandparents.  Many people I know aren’t so lucky – either because the grandparents don’t live nearby or because the grandparents don’t get along or in the sad case where one or more of the grandparents have passed away.
2. That we live close enough to both sets of grandparents that we get to see them regularly throughout the year – not just at family holidays like Thanksgiving.
3. That all four of our in-laws genuinely likes and enjoys each other’s company – again, as I mentioned, not something all families enjoy.
4. That Shea is off to a conference in Halifax next week and both sets of grandparents will be checking on me pretty much every night between them while Shea’s gone (for the record, no one bats an eye when I’m off at conference for a few days and Shea’s left alone with the kids!  Hmmm…) 🙂
5. On a day of really sad news from south of the border, I’m thankful I live in Canada.  We’re not perfect but our conservatives are still people we can (mostly) get along with and “agree to disagree” with without the level of partisanship and vitriol that exists in the US.
6. I’m pretty thankful for the life I have – I live in Canada, my wife and I have good jobs we enjoy, our kids are happy and healthy, we can afford to go on a big trip in the winter and have a seasonal campsite in summer, etc. etc.  As I’ve said before, I’m not religious but still feel pretty blessed. 🙂
7. Little things – my commute is literally five minutes.  The enjoyment i get from watching hockey and drinking craft beer.  Literally any book I read and how I can feel it changing my brain.  Snuggling with Sasha.  Watching in awe as Pace does stuff at his parkour I never could’ve done as a kid.
8. Long weekends.
9. The many people I know who, in big ways and small, are fighting important battles – for better working conditions, better living conditions, better wages, better equality, better respect for all people, better education, better libraries, better everything in the face of opposition from people who are selfish or self-righteous or similar.
10. This song which, again, is such a Saskatchewan thing for me – the singer is the sister of a guy who married somebody from my hometown that I was on our high school yearbook committee with…