Hey, we still have some turkey in the fridge, so it's still appropriate to give thanks, right?
I meant to pound out this blog entry during the holiday weekend, but family visits and general merriment prevented me from doing it. I'd like to take a few minutes to give thanks for my blessings.
Big Thanks
Family. I would not be the person I am without my family. They make me better. They challenge me. They support me. I'm thankful my parents read to me as a kid and encouraged me to write. They also encouraged me to watch lots of sports. To this day, I still write, read, and watch a lot of sports.
My wife. Like everyone, I worry. Sometimes, I worry a lot. My wife is always beside me to tell me to worry less and smile more. She puts up with my fantastic tales of superheroes and spaceships, my love of reading and pop culture references. She laughs at my lame jokes and puns. Perhaps I should not be so thankful for the latter...as it only encourages me to spin ridiculously stupid jokes and puns.
Friends. I'm not the warmest and fuzziest man around. Sometimes (actually, almost always) I'm terrible at keeping in touch with my friends. Yet when we do meet up or swap stories, I feel the immeasurable camaraderie between us. I feel the sense that nothing has changed even when everything has changed.
Mentors. Yes, mentors are covered in the "friends" category. However, I can think of several people in my life who transcend friendship. Yes, we're close, but I look up to you. I rely on you for guidance and advice. You always come through.
Little Thanks
Sports. Some people may balk at seeing this on the list. After all, what have sports ever done for anyone? I can't offer an answer to that question. I can, however, tell you that I live and die in the summer with the Cincinnati Reads; fret and worry during the fall and winter over the fates of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Indianapolis Colts; rise and fall through a certain March Madness with the Indiana Hoosiers. Sports are an important part of my family culture.
My trusty notebooks. My stories don't start on the computer screen; they begin on paper instead. In notebooks strewn about the house, I have outlines and detailed notes about nearly every short story and novel I've ever written or conceived. My filing system is complicated...as I have none...and it sometimes takes a while to find what I'm looking for. Still, my notebooks inspire me and occasionally remind me of a crucial plot point I'd almost forgotten.
Kindle library lending. Thanks to this awesome partnership, I can check out library books on my Kindle without ever leaving my house. This is awesome and convenient. After feeling like I hadn't read a book for a while, I've read at least six books in the past two months. That may not sound like much, but considering three of those are George R.R. Martin's novels, it's like I've read 50 books in the last two months.
No Thanks
0-11. If you don't know what this means, you don't know me.
