Giving Thanks

I'd hazard a guess that one of the deep streams of human consciousness (at least in consumer cultures) that we would most benefit from bringing forward is gratitude. Thanks for the invitation, Adam.

I give thanks to this biosphere for supporting the creation of a body that can carry me through this life offering a feast of beautiful sensory input and a powerful array of capabilities. This is a gift for a prince, for a most cherished child of most generous parents and also for us.

I celebrate the elemental aspects of Earth life - water, stone, air, fire - and the gorgeous combinations they create. Hot sun radiating off an ancient rock mass, the eternal singing of our waterways, the way a strong wind can carry my whole self to a wider, wilder, happier place. Even without considering the life forms here, the planet is a wonderland.

These creatures around me.... The huge scary spiders that want to live in my cabin, the earthworms who somehow winter frozen in a gravel pile (resilient or what?), the billions of trees that make our oxygen, the ones who can fly and breathe water, the fuzzy ones that purr on my lap.... If I pause in taking them for granted, I see that their companionship carries my soul, which would die of loneliness in a universe without them.

Not least, I give thanks for human culture, exquisite, damaged, full of gifts: music, language, the capacity for compassion and for the great task of healing our shadow side, the exquisite flavor of our intelligence whenever it shows itself, laughter, dance....  I celebrate being human and savor the joy of going inward or outward to meet the fascinating being at the core of us.

Now all that said, a good turkey dinner alone is worth a big thanks AND doing the washing up.  I hope all you Americans are taking full advantage of the opportunity!  Have an extra serving of dressing for me!

Susan

I like this one Adam.

Simply, I am thrilled for the life I have, and have had. Every day an adventure and every moment an opportunity. I cannot ever remember not looking forward to each and every day. I loved being a friend to my Lady, and Lord knows I love my son's, that included the slap them around part too. Honestly, I wouldn't change one day, not a single one. I have not cheated my family one day in all of my life and I am proud of this. Left it all out there Baby! Still do. A trait given me by both my parents, and I am thankful to them for this.

My only complaint would be: How the HELL does 8 officials conspire along with the rules committee for the NFL to blow the absolute worst call in NFL history, and not only NOT see that the Texans running back hit the ground with three parts of his body while being tackled, but DO NOT blow their whistle, AND THEN, when we protest it is ruled that it is automatically reviewed, and because we protested the play with our LITTLE RED FLAG THING, IT DOESN'T GET REVIEWED, and as PUNISHMENT for complaining about the OBVIOUS BULLSHIT CALL IN NFL HISTORY get assessed a 15 YARD PENALTY!!! Honestly Folks this is total and complete BULLSHIT!!!!! Otherwise, I am so happy today that it is sunny, windy and COLD AS HELL!!! Isn't life grand, you bet it is.

Thanks Adam for reminding me of how great things are a day after THE WORST CALL in NFL HISTORY!!!! MY gosh it is TOUGH being a LIONS FAN!!! Don't get me started with MEGATRONS CATCH that WASN'T a CATCH against the Bears a couple of years ago. If you forgot he caught the ball, sprinted across the back of the endzone for an hour and a half, then as part of his athletic play he slips, and with ball firmly in hand for the last hour and a half touches the ground with the ball and IT WAS RULED A NO CATCH!!!! Arrrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Yes!, it is hard being a Lions Fan but FAN I AM. NO HOCKEY and the PISTONS stink. Yes, life is just peachy today around my home.

Regards

BOB

http://www.oftwominds.com/blog.html

Like Adam, I'm extremely grateful that my family is now (mostly) settled in our new house in town, with neighbors so wonderful that between yesterday and today, one fixed my daughter's violin (in her bathrobe) and sent me home with fresh cranberry sauce for our feast, and another stopped in after 10pm to help me in baking pumpkin pies (from local pumpkins) into the wee hours, and another came by to pick up a potluck bowl and some egg cartons and ended up staying for a nice visit.

I am grateful for our woodstove and the fact that it's proving possible to heat our house entirely without oil (using wood and solar).  Grateful for the friends who delivered and stacked the wood.  Grateful for the person who chose to offer that woodstove up on Freecycle (a price I could afford) instead of trying to make a few bucks (at a price I might not have afforded).

I am grateful for the worker-guy who, while implementing radon remediation in our new home, went out of his way to fashion and "finish" a permanent root-cellaring area in our crawl space.  My locally-grown potatoes and onions have already taken up residence. 

I am grateful for good friends and neighbors who share resources and support without question or hesitation.

I am grateful for satisfying, meaningful work.  Thank you all for being a part of that for me.

I am grateful for the family members who are coming today to share a meal and celebrate each other.  Grateful for my parents and their example of a healthy marriage, generosity, and unconditional acceptance within our family.  Grateful for my strong sisters and their spouses who hold true to their values even in the face of challenges.  Grateful for my children, nieces, and nephews who are teaching us more than we ever imagined.

I am grateful for my relationships with so many people, near and far, who share my values and visions and are actively working to improve the local and global situations -- including the Peak Prosperity team and this community.  Thank you all!

I am so happy that having always been happy, stayed true, and worked hard for a woman that I totally love with all my heart, and have since I first met her at 17 years old (41 years), and son's that Man up to any person on the face of the earth, who treat their Ladies as gentlemen should, and who have given me/us two grandson's who's Thanksgiving message at grace when asked the most important thing they are grateful for is "FAMILY" and "GOD" respectively, from a 7 year old and 5 year old, leaving all of with tears as they get it better than most. I have no complaints in the world because who really cares anyways, renders my complete happiness with my lot in life that I and my Lady have struggled, and worked so hard for is unimportant as the sole THUMBS DOWN member of this topic here at PP.

I mean, were's the LOVE FOLKS!?

Please understand that I care not for this rather silly thumbs up or thumbs down thing because it cheapens us on so many occasions. I believe that it really is just plain silly but as often as I can I give thumbs up to anyone who took the time to express anything as in my mind it is relevant, and as the game here is played, with this gadget, I must because my conscious mandates it. 

I give every member a Thumbs up just for being here and supporting Chris and Adam on the most important message we all know to be vital going forward in the world today. They couldn't do this without every single one of us, and that is just the simple truth. I cannot imagine that Chris and Adam, and their message getting a thumbs down, and left silent when the whole of what they say are so very important today, especially today.

No Response is necessary and please, please save me the embarrassment of thinking anything I say is less or more than any other member here by giving me a thumbs up. I personally read and value them all, equally.

For those who read this as an insecure plea for acceptance, please, please, don't give this another thought. It's just an Independent thought that I wanted to share with the group, and I still hope and pray that you are all safe and loved because above all I wish you all well.

Resilience Folks is all that matters, and as my grandsons expressed, Family and God (whomever that represents for you) it really is all that matters. After grace I gave both the biggest hug and kiss a Grandpa Crappa has ever given their grandsons. I assure you of this, they nailed it, and they may have well told everyone while we held hands just how secure they were in this life, with us in their lives. Yes, that is worth the tears spent. I don't need a thumbs up to confirm what I am or the feelings felt or who I am as a Man or any such non-sense. 

Respectfully Given

BOB 

I was talking with my kids yesterday on the way to Grampy's house, about what we value most of all.  We're thankful for health and each other; anything beyond that is a bonus.

Chris and Adam talk often about personal resilience and community, specifically how the the whole is truly the sum of its parts. At least that is my perceptions of their words, and I absolutely understand this concept.

I started something a while ago (as I take very seriously the importance of community, and not so much myself) as I am a strong believer that TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) is an absolute certainty, and is why I very much agree with just about everything said by Chris and Adam, and find these wonderful personal stories that have been expressed here by everyone, and what you are thankful for. It struck me how everyone was so reliant on someone else for there resilience and happiness, and the charity of many that makes your/my life go round. Imagine then if just one person in this chain wasn't their for you, and how things would be for you at this moment as every chain is important as your stories expressed.

Every story contains at least the efforts of others that have made your lives complete, including mine.

Anyways, I wanted to see how some of you would respond to a thread I layed out here and how you would judge its content. Even with an emotional and contrived plea for acceptance and none was forthcoming. I was surprised by this a bit but not completely. So why the obvious insecure request (by me) of acceptance and then my explanation of how I don't care what you think anyways? It was something I needed to observe as any response would indicate to me as a group how you would react. The group failed are my thoughts.

I happen to have befriended all the Folks in the neighborhood that don't quite measure up to standards others expect from them. You know the type, their brash or macho or are abrasive sounding so they are discarded as the "neighbors to avoid". So I began talking to them, often while walking my dog, and my dog became the opening to many conversations as he is beautiful, and well behaved and mammoth. I found out common interests and started my own rumors that they were very nice if you just got to know them. I was quite sincere as that is the only way to change perceptions is through truthful dialogue. I had them over when I would have others over for a card game or casual drinks while sitting in the driveway, listening to a Tigers game, and enjoying the evening. Having gotten to know them I could steer a conversation towards their strengths, and respect was earned as they spoke, and others started to relate to them. A perspective that became positive was developed, and soon attitudes changed.

It isn't hard, quite simple really. You moderate basically the commonality we all share, and let the good in people do the rest. I believe we are all basically good. It is my firm belief that if you expose someones value that they become more, that they want to be helpful using their strengths.It is how a marriage is managed. I respect my Lady's strengths and she respects mine, and so everything is harmonious and better. It is how you get to complete each others sentences. 

What has truly happened is everyone becomes more accommodative and have loosened up, coming out of their shells you might say. Simple acknowledgements such as good morning, good evening, hello, and how are you started to be common manners. I no longer hear the things I did, and the neighborhood is more complete, stronger I think by simple TEAM concepts.

Now to my point: I believe each and everyone of you should look to be All Inclusive in your thoughts, that the sum of all parts make everything run so much smoother, and that the perceived weakest member in your lives just might be the TEAM (s) greatest strength. I would bet on this as I have seen what one insignificant player can bring to a TEAM when he feels included and valuable. My theory, you will never have security until everyone is included, after all, from what I have read,  every single thread was because someone else either helped or included you in their thoughts and manners. I think you all need to work on your mind set and start paying forward more consistently the good intentions that others have supplied you, that were helpful to you, and made you a member of the TEAM which motivated you to be better yourselves. See???!

Personal resilience cannot be accomplished if you think you can do it alone or if you think you can exclude someone that may just be the one who could add so much more but is gossiped to be less, deemed less. It must have a TEAM mentality or it is doomed to fail. Will fail.

I probably take this more seriously than most but Resilience might just be dependent some day on the weakest link, and I sure would like to have that link be from someone with a positive frame of mind than of a selfish introverted mind. Especially when all I had to do was say "good morning", "have a great day" give a "Thumbs Up", so forth and yada yada ya.

Hey, I love you all, and you will hear a great deal from me still for a good while I suspect. Why care about any of this really? I don't honestly because none of you will ever have contact with me but that would be selfish I think. I comment because I want input, I want to be better in my own community, and I'm looking for perspectives. I learned something here at PP over the years and that is to be more tolerant of those I think less somehow. I don't feel this way any longer as I have seen that being all inclusive sometimes motivates in ways that will benefit everyone in some form or another. I plan on being a part of the solution and not part of the problem. 

No response is necessary and certainly no "Thumbs Up" is wanted, please. Just try and give this some thought.

Respectfully Given

BOB