November 28th, 2016

I briefly considered writing a list of everything I was thankful for here, but I quickly noticed a theme that bears exploring. The things I am most thankful for are more intangible than material, abstract rather than concrete, or at the very least not inanimate objects. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the things I have; I have a lot of stuff, and a lot of it is great. For example I'm very thankful for my super comfy memory foam pillow which cradles my head at just the right angle every night and many afternoons. It really is the best and I don't know what I'd do without it. The point though is I do not want for material goods, and I am, when I stop to think about it, thankful for them all.

But I am more thankful for the fact that I do not lack material goods than I am thankful for those goods in and of themselves. I am also much more thankful for what they allow me to do. I am thankful for my car, but far more so for the places it allows me to go and the road trips I have taken with my wife and dog. I am thankful for my snowboard, but much more grateful that I have health enough to snowboard still and for our upcoming family ski trip to Vermont. For every material possession I have, I am more grateful for how it enriches my life than I am for the simple fact that I possess it.

At a higher level I am thankful for the relationships I enjoy and the people that I love. I am blessed with wonderful family and friends, and that is far more valuable than any material possession can ever be. As we leave Thanksgiving Day behind and enter a wildly commercialized month of encouraged greed and consumerism, I think that's worth remembering.