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The many reasons to be thankful Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005 By David Sanders It is time for that unique American holiday we call Thanksgiving. It packs so much in one day - a parade, football, a meal with all the trimmings, a tryphtophan-induced afternoon nap, and the anticipation of a season filled with gratitude, hope and joy. So it is with that spirit that I offer my many thanks in this space, some serious, some not so serious. I am thankful for the political season's early launch. The various stops and starts of the gubernatorial campaign - Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller exiting the Republican primary and Bill Halter flirting with entering the Democratic primary - have made for an interesting year, giving this columnist plenty of material. Speaking of Rockefeller, I'm thankful that he is recovering well. Hopefully he'll be able to enjoy Christmas with his family this year with a new lease on life. I am thankful Gov. Mike Huckabee is at least exploring the possibility of running for president. I enjoyed my late-summer trip to New Hampshire. It was a beautiful state with wonderful people. Besides, Manchester has the greatest little cigar shop called Castro's Backroom. I'm thinking I need to go back there this spring. I am thankful for cigars. Even though I do not inhale the smoke into my lungs, the nicotine that makes it into my blood stream provides a very soothing and relaxing sensation, which I find extremely conducive to writing. I am thankful for my two senators who, despite their partisan identification, have shown themselves to be fair-minded. I hope they continue because it could be a lot worse. I am thankful congressional Republicans decided to pass a budget that actually decreases spending. I was beginning to think they like big government. I am thankful for people like Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. I think we need to be reminded that there are dense people in the world. I am slightly thankful for the CIA leak case. I'm not sure anyone who goes by "Scooter" should be allowed to work in the White House. I am thankful there is always hope for tomorrow, but being a fan of both President Bush and the Arkansas Razorbacks has tested my faith. I am thankful for my physical therapist. Six weeks after my ankle cracked and popped under the weight of my body, I'm still hurting, limping and swollen. She tells me if I keep up with my exercises, I will be back to normal sometime in 2006. I am thankful for VH-1's "I Love the 80's." I was slightly disappointed to find out that it was not a series about Ronald Reagan, but I watch it anyway because, well, big hair and day-glow colors have a way of brightening my day. I am thankful for my children - they are the joy of my life. I am, however, slightly disturbed by an emerging trend. My daughter, who is 6.75, has crossed over the threshold from really little kid to little kid. This is made obvious by the rolling of her eyes when I tell jokes and her incredible ability to use sarcasm with such ease at all the right times. She is turning into her mother. On a more positive note, my two boys, ages 5.33 and 3.8, still think that everything their father does or says, no matter how stupid, is funny. I am very thankful for my wife. I realize not every guy is blessed with someone so beautiful and bright who also humbles him on a daily basis. I am thankful for my new dog. The addition of a Boxer-Great Pyrenees mix to our house has made me realize that we don't have room for another child. I am thankful for old friends and new ones. I am thankful for my editor, not only for editing my broken English twice a week, but for keeping me around for more than five years. I am thankful for you, the reader, who, for whatever reason, feels compelled to peruse this space on a regular basis. Happy Thanksgiving. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
