Thanksgiving 2017

As far as I can tell, from at least 2011 onwards, I've tried to make a list of all the things I am thankful for on Thanksgiving.  It's in no particular order, and I don't look at lists from prior years before I write it.  It's been a good exercise for me to take a break, breathe in some self-reflection, and exhale some gratitude.  I think I have a lot of things to be thankful for this year.

Here's my non-exclusive list for 2017.

1. I'm thankful for my spouse, Kate.  It would not be inaccurate to say we, and more specifically her, have been through some shit this year, and I sit here today awed at her resilience, emotional intelligence, and toughness.  It's not in my nature to make grand emotional statements, but she puts up with that, my perpetual desire to just improvise rather than plan, and my general aversion to divulging information unless specifically asked in the form of a question, plus more.  She's the best.
2. I'm thankful for friendships this year, which I think should flow through this list in various experiences.  People ask me not infrequently, "Isn't it odd to not have siblings?"  My usual response is some variant on, "I have two brothers, they're just different than what you may expect"  That stands true today.  I am imperfect at responding to messages, at following up, at making time, but I am beyond grateful for Benjamin and Scott.
3. Tacos - I really like the carnitas ones, but really any will do.
4. I'm thankful for this orange sweatshirt that I bought at a midwest mountaineering employee sale for $20 and am currently wearing as I type, which is absolutely the best.
5. For an experience of a lifetime - DESERT TRIP 2017 into the canyons of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and surrounding environs.  I am thankful for every mile driven in the Subaru, every bad joke, that certain "salad shops" in Colorado are subject to laws not applicable in other states, every step retracing Backcountry Ben's 9 year old self at Calf Creek and subsequent steps going into the unknown of Little Death Hollow, that Benjamin didn't break either his wrist and/or his taint falling down a chockstone, for every second spent in the solitude of the canyon, for every 4% beer consumed on a hike wayside, even for the blisters and aches that mark the miles.  But most of all, I am thankful to share the experience with the best of family.
6. That time I went fly fishing by myself in Preston and caught a really big trout.
7. For the Nottingham IX, whom I quite literally think about every time I look down.  
8. It's only 13 days until Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  I'm going to go see it with my best friends from high school that I've been going to see Star Wars with since at least 2005, and I'm thankful for that too.
9. For a great year skiing, in Minnesota, Colorado, and Montana.  
10. Even though it was without question the weirdest vacation of my life, crashing with my dad the family vacation of my dad's wife's mom's best friend's boyfriend in one Airbnb, I'm thankful for the generosity of strangers who willingly will drive you a PB&J sandwich at the chalet for lunch.
11. I'm thankful for a sense of adventure.
12. For the number 12, my favourite number.
13. For new musical experiences - perhaps due to the unconscious influence of my cousin Mike, I've gotten really into the Grateful Dead and Phish this year.
14. For seeing Bob Dylan perform in St. Paul last month.
15. Frozen pizza.  Remember, every pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself.
16. For that time Kate, Sarah, and I went to see the first MNUFC match in MLS in a driving snowstorm, even though they got rolled 6-1.
17. Comfortable pants.
18. Snowshoes and snowshoeing on the Superior Hiking Trail on New Years' Day.
19. Beer.  My favorites this year have been anything from Castle Danger and then other stuff too.
20. Wool hats and socks.
21. That feeling you get when you do something hard.
22. The folks and mission of Christus Victor Lutheran Church.  It's not sexy or popular to be lutheran in this day and age, but I generally like the people, I think it's a productive environment to be in, it's all I've ever known, and again, it's all about the relationships.
23. I'm thankful for those friends who really would be justified in casting you aside for lack of contact, but graciously continue and continue to be there.  I think of a law school friend who I ran into at Lutsen and subsequently invited us to happy hour with their family, an elementary school friend whom I went skiing with and ended up spending 3 hours at the chalet bar just chatting, and high school friends who keep inviting us to concerts even though I always have some legitimate yet outwardly stupid reason why we can't go.  Thank you so much for your friendship and your perseverance in the pursuit of continued friendship.  
24. Some shit went down this year, and I'm thankful for those who were there when it counted.  I'm not going to name names, but I'll name only an individual code named "thekim." 
25. Our stupid dog Obi-Wan.  We had him boarded by a woman while we were in D.C., and whatever he did, he quite literally caused the woman to not respond to my texts after we picked him up, but he is such a pure soul and means so well.  He's also a great camper, movie watcher, and sleeper right on your pillow as you also struggle to get comfortable.
26. Whiskey - in fact, I think I'll go pour some right now.
27. Coffee - fancy coffee, gas station coffee, coffee at home, coffee at work, coffeecoffeecoffee.
28. Playing the trombone, playing the guitar, making music and listening to it.
29. That my spring training prediction for a middling season for the Minnesota Twins was inaccurate.
30. While I can't do as much as I once did, I'm thankful for the young adults and Ms. Vergara with the FHS Mock Trial program.
31. For a job that, even while it sometimes means long hours and difficult stuff, I enjoy getting up and doing.  I'm thankful for the intellectual challenge it provides, for the lifestyle it affords, for the co-workers who are easy to work with yet also demanding.
32. Mark Hamill.
33. That time a ski guide took me up into the backcountry area at Bridger Bowl and we had to hike for our turns and wear an avalanche beacon.  That was sweet.
34. For when people came to my 2017 Star Wars marathon and went all in on eating Chinese takeout, pizza, blue milk, and sitting in a cramped basement for 17 hours.
35. I'm really thankful for my biological family.  For my mom and dad, who probably get frustrated when I don't respond to texts for days but still love and forgive me, for my aunt, uncle, cousins and cousins' kids in Sioux Falls, for cousin Mike in Denver, for all of Ann's family, for my mother and father in law, for thekim, for Erik, and even though little kids terrify me, for Ingrid.
36. I'm still thankful for Barack Obama.  I'm going to hold onto that and remember his example of graciousness until this current garbage individual mercifully makes his exit.
37. I had someone unfriend me in the past few years, and even though that still hurts, I'm thankful that this person appears to have found some joy and positivity in their life.  
38. For tangible experiences.
39. For public lands, and all the great things you can do on them.  Particular experiences this year included the aforementioned trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante and Canyonlands National Park, a weekend trip to the Boundary Waters, an anniversary bikepacking trip in the Chemequegon National Forest that actually was miserable in the rain but still sort of fun in a really masochistic way, many state park and forest camping trips, and time at the National Mall in Washington D.C.  It's easy to advocate for things that you cherish and are grateful for.
40. We started a new environmental/sustainability group at CV, the Green Team, and even though we've had ups and downs, I'm thankful that it's going.
41. For good health, for the ability to use my body to experience things both physical and mental.
42. For the intellectual life, the curiosity to keep learning, the desire to never stagnate.  
43. The porketta sandwich and a Big Jim at Northbound Smokehouse in south Minneapolis.
44. When I was in boy scouts, I could never climb the wooden tower at scout camp.  This year, I bought climbing shoes, a harness, and joined a climbing gym.  It's still way hard, but I'm thankful for being challenged.
45. For bikes!  For commuting to work on a bike instead of sitting in traffic!
46. Notwithstanding the traffic, I do enjoy a good drive and am thankful for that.  I got a new car this year that is quite zippy and I'm thankful for that and for receiving blessings that allowed it to come into being, which included but was not limited to Volkswagen fessing up to their global conspiracy and buying back my planet-killing Jetta.
47. For not falling off my bike on the Fourth of July this year, which had been a near annual occurrence.  
48. A doctor, a lawyer, a physicist, and a trombone professor walk into a bar and Chicago, and [redacted].  Thankful for my dear manboys and the opportunity for us all to get together this past spring.
49. Cheese.
50. That all of you keep your comments to yourself when you come to our obscenely messy house and/or yard.
51. For realizing it's okay to be a bit eccentric.
52. Reading stuff in print.

I could keep going, but I think you all probably get the jist of it.  Thanks to all of you for reading, and I hope everyone shares in a day of gratitude.