Each night, our kids say prayers at bedtime. At two, Monster Girl is fairly predictable. Her prayers are usually a repeat of the previous night's prayers. "Mommy, Dadddieeeee, Beee (her name for her brother), My (her name for herself), Papa (all grandparents)." B-Boy covers a bit more ground, and is nearly as predictable. He goes for things he can see. Toys, books, anything hanging on the wall, etc. He also throws in a few things he's heard consistently, such as grandparents, the world, and poor people. And he always gives thanks for the stars and the moon. I think that's because he can see them at night when he is doing his prayers.
As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, most of us will reflect upon those things for which we are thankful. Like young kids, many of those things are fairly predictable. Family, friends, and health are often at the top of the list. That led me to consider things for which I am thankful that might raise a few eyebrows.
I am thankful that I was unable to afford college when I left high school, and that I decided to go, anyway. A lot of valuable experiences came from that period in my life. I gained a great understanding of my mom's love as she worked to help pay for me to be there. I joined a punk rock band, wound up in the hospital with a broken jaw, and learned it is very difficult for a 19-year old to balance full time work with full time school. More than a decade later, I would learn it is much easier for a 30-something to do the same thing.
Eventually, reality set in, and I realized that college, at that point in time, was wrong for me. I'm thankful that when that happened, I had a dad who showed restraint and avoided the "I told you so" speech. I was given the latitude to drift a bit, and support when I finally decided to join the Navy. My dad refrained from that "I told you so" speech, as well. In the end, the Navy was where I needed to be. It gave me the discipline and experience to actually get through college. And it put me in Virginia where I met Mrs. Pol. Without the choices that were made, the family I value so much wouldn't have come into existence.
I'm thankful for sarcoidosis. While many would question the sanity of being thankful for a potentially life-threatening illness, it takes a big picture view to understand fully. First, my sarcoid, to date, has been very benign and has resolved itself without treatment (knock on wood, here). Second, sarcoid was the GOOD diagnosis. The other possibility was leukemia. I'll take sarcoidosis over leukemia any day. Finally, those faint shadows in my lungs led to important changes in my life.
When first diagnosed with sarcoidosis, I was pushing 230 pounds and continuing to gain weight. I couldn't run 1.5 miles to save my life and my bike was just an option for riding around town. I hadn't been in a pool for exercise, well, ever. Pulmonary illness put me into the care of outstanding VA doctors. And their need to monitor my lung capacity led to a course correction in my life.
I started the change from couch/computer potato to recreational runner. Then, I went from recreational runner to endurance runner. That led to triathlons and Ironman. Without the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, it is quite likely I would still be well over 220 pounds, fighting serious GI issues, and facing a lifetime of heart related illness. Instead, I'm considering a 50-mile endurance run and future iron distance triathlons.
It's easy to be thankful for everyday things in life. And we should be thankful for them. We should also spend some time reflecting on those things that are less clear. Often, positive events in our lives appear negative at first. We usually need time to give us the proper perspective on things. Now is a good time to look back and give thanks for things overlooked or misunderstood in the past.
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