November.  The month of Thanksgiving.  The challenge was to create a blog post of thankfulness everyday for a month.  I probably shouldn't have waited until the end of the day on November 1 before I started thinking about it.  I mean I think about gratitude every day.  It's part of my sobriety.  And it's a major component of my philosophy of life.  As a card-carrying depressive, it's really too easy for me to focus on the negative.  When my day starts with a shot of gratitude, the next 15-18 hours goes a lot more smoothly.

So, why am I thankful?  Well, first off I'm thankful just to be here on this amazing planet that is home.  This morning was cold and windy and wet, but the sun broke through the clouds at lunch time and blessed me with it's light.  I swear I could feel the endorphins start moving around in my head and I had to smile because I just felt so darn good.  Even though the weather was pretty brisk, I rolled the windows down in the Pacer as I headed to McDonald's for my coffee and salad.  Since the radio doesn't work I was singing that old Turtles' song, "Imagine me and you, I do.  I think about you day and night, it's only right..."  You know how it goes.  And I realized that I am a very blessed individual.

Now that I've started putting words down, I'm sure the next 29 days of writing will be easier to do.  I've got a lot to be thankful for - great family, good friends, a job I love, a return to health, a pension and social security waiting for me at retirement.  For someone who never planned on making it this long, things have fallen into place pretty well.

Thank you universe, for conspiring for my benefit.  I love you.