Here we are, nestled smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, when gratitude fills the air like pollen. You know, they say gratitude is “the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.”* And I am very grateful they said this. In fact, these words have inspired me to offer up a smattering of other things for which I am similarly grateful.

The St. James Elementary School Playground Circa 1985

For most of the time I attended St. James Elementary School in the early and mid-1980s, its only swing set was embedded in the parking lot’s rock-hard blacktop. I hold gratitude for the intense fear this swing set placed within my heart, ensuring I’d avoid neck and spinal cord injuries for years to come.

Beans the Cat

My family harbors three different cats, all of whom I love. But much to my family’s chagrin, one cat in particular – our newest cat – loves me above all else. This is “Beans,” whom we adopted when he was just a few months old. I bonded with Beans right away, and now our “family” cat ignores 3/4s of said family. He came with huge paws and huge ears, and he still has them. And because I’m too lazy to trim his sizable, needle-like claws, my body is absolutely peppered with mini puncture wounds, as Beans loves to sleep on my lap, securing himself by hooking in – right though my pajama pants. He also mistakes my poorly postured spine for some kind of irresistible shelf, leaping onto it unannounced, finding purchase through my shirt and into my skin. It’s unpleasant, but I believe this is Beans’s’s love language, and I’m determined to speak it with him.

I like to believe that Beans and I are grateful for each other. After all, you know what they always say: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” **

My Neighborhood Sidewalks

Many of the sidewalks around my neighborhood are cracked and speckled with little holes. Many of the concrete panels have worn down, exposing the smooth little stones hidden beneath the surface. These walkways were made decades and decades ago. I like thinking about the neighborhood back when they were brand new. It’s comforting.

I’m able to have these thoughts because, during our recent global pandemic, my wife made sure we all got out of the house every day to stroll in the fresh air. The habit stuck. And so here we are in late 2024, walking the daily route together. I’ve always hated walking, and exercise in general. But these walks (and of course, my fantastic wife) remind me there are things in this world we’ve learned to hate, but that hate can be unlearned. It’s not easy. But it’s good.

The Apple Cider Donuts at Leffle Roots Apple Orchard

Seriously. Have you had them? These god-level confections only emerge in the fall when Leffle Roots opens for the season. It’s a picturesque little place right outside of Eau Claire with a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, an orchard, the whole bit. But by Thor’s Heavy Hammer…the donuts. So warm, so fresh, so slightly crispy around the edges. Am I grateful for them? I’d go to war for them.

The orchard will be under new management in 2025, and if these donuts don’t return, I shall die and wither like ash in the wind.

But even then, I will be filled with gratitude. For as they say, “It’s up to us to choose contentment and thankfulness now—and to stop imagining that we have to have everything perfect before we’ll be happy.” ***

I know what you’re thinking. But I’m no hero. If my words have inspired you to feel some deep, satisfying gratitude, I’m glad. For as much as you are thankful for me, I am more thankful for you.

It’s not a contest. But I win.

*In this case, the “they” of whom I speak is “Henry Ward Beecher.”

**In this case, the “they” of whom I speak is “A.A. Milne,” who wrote these words for his classic book, Winnie-the-Pooh, a supernatural thriller about sentient toys.

***In this case, the “they” of whom I speak is interior designer and television personality “Joanna Gaines,” who, among other things, sells mass-produced, pre-lit, fake Christmas trees at Target for almost $300 each (after tax). She and her husband – “Chip” – are worth around $50 million.