So today, on American Thanksgiving, we are often reminded that we should give thanks for all the people and things we have in our lives. I don’t think we should be limiting it to a single day, however. I’ve been blessed daily with many things that I’m eternally grateful for.
1. Kristen, for one, makes life more whole, fun and loving. Sure we have our little bits and moments of disagreements but on the whole we complement each other. I have to admit I’ve never laughed as much as I do with her. For that I am grateful.
2. My health has been better this year than in past years and seems to be getting better. My recent foray into a whole raw food diet (thank you VitaMix and Victoria Boutenko) has been very promising. Once the next few weeks of travel settles then I should be able to resume it full force again and go back to a full vegan diet.
Additionally, moving to California has inspired me to return to cycling and I’m planning for my trans-continental ride from Vancouver to L.A., and perhaps right to the Mexican border.
3. While nearly 10% of the US populace is either unemployed or underemployed, I’m lucky enough to enjoy full employment (even if it does include may days of overtime). With this comes the health benefits I need as well as a pay that takes the stress out of day-to-day finances. I’m still recovering from the cost of the move but I’m more ahead now than I was before.
I’m also lucky that my company is willing to cover the cost of my work visa, even in these rough times (granted, unlike others we post some high percentages when it comes to profits).
4. Although many transsexed individuals face discrimination, ridicule and worse, I’ve been blessed with friends, family and colleagues who are supportive. Even those few that read here have been supportive and I’ve been pretty lucky to never once receive hate mail. (whether this has to do with me being an FTM or not I don’t know, especially given what Chaz and other prominent transmen face).
5. And without my friends, life would be very lonely indeed. My recent trip to Toronto showed me how lucky I am to have the friends I do. Even though I haven’t seen my two closest friends in a while (2-3 years) I was able to visit and stay with them and catch up with a former student of mine who I hadn’t seen in nearly 6-7 years. Even though I’m admittedly horrible at writing friends and family they still love me anyways.
6. Finally, the furrkids: Bobcat, the cranky cat; and Lily and Fawnda, the silliest and incredibly densest pugs around. The laughs and joys they bring by being themselves makes life that much more enjoyable and stress free.
So I do have a lot to be thankful for, not just today but every day. To all my American friends and adoptive family: Happy Thanksgiving/Gobbler Day. To everyone: thanks for being a part of my life.