What are you thankful for?

[John Galt]

With the approach of Thanksgiving and the occasion
of what must be around my 2000th post, I thought
I would ruminate and pontificate on what I am
thankful for, in no particular order (Yes, Virginia, I am
thankful for a lot, even though it seems I am bitching
all the time)

I am thankful that I could ER, even though I did almost everything wrong.

I am thankful that my health is good enough to enable me to do most of the stuff I enjoy.

I am thankful that Bush won and the Republicans control the White House and Congress.

I am thankful for my wife, children and grandchildren.

I am thankful that my parents are still alive and
mostly independent.

I am thankful for the fredoms we enjoy, even if they are
being degraded over time.

I am thankful for the women that I loved, even though
they are mostly all consigned to history (my wife
would like that )

I am thankful for my close and loyal friends who accept me the way I am and like me anyway.

Finally, I am thankful for this forum and all of those
who take my rants, hyperbole, invective, satire and
sarcasm (did I leave out pomposity? with mostly
good humor. I wish for all of you (except liberals
a happy and healthy holiday season. I feel like I know
a lot of you personally.

John Galt

 

[BigMoneyJim]

My health above all, because I've seen how miserable it can be to lose it. My family. My country. My life. Take all my money and put me back in debt as long as I can keep those other things.

 

[retire@40]

I remind myself how fortunate I am every day, not just at Thanksgiving.

I'm primarily thankful for having a great family and good friends, and that I have the privilege to live in the United States of America.

After that, I'm thankful for all the selfish things the above have provided me, such as good health, a successful business, the ability to make as much or as little money as I want, and the ability to start with nothing and become FI and RE. These are the good ol' days.

I think most of us should be grateful that we live a better quality of life today than many kings and nobles did a few centuries ago.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[wabmester]

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks for all of the things that we usually take for granted. Like the forces that hold all of the atoms together, gravity, water, cellular membranes, evolution, numbers, the alphabet, the sun, and most of all -- chocolate.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Like the forces that hold all of the atoms together

I prefer to assume they choose to stay together. Oh, such happy quarks and leptons.

numbers, the alphabet,

And Mr. Hooper and Snuffelufagus, but not Elmo.

 

[Nords]

"Life is good" moments.

4-6 feet of clean backside left breaks stretching to the horizon on a weekday morning. And finally learning just where to put my longboard to catch as many of them as I can handle.

Time enough to live my life the way I've wanted to.

A happy semi-retired spouse who's finally worked through all that career/competition stuff.

A healthy, bright, busy teenager who watches skeptically, evaluates critically, thinks outside the box, finds the third side of every issue, insists on verifying her own facts, and challenges authority at every possible step... and who hones all those developing skills to a keen edge by practicing on her parents at every opportunity. Clearly that wasn't inherited from MY side of the family.

 

[Jane]

most of all -- chocolate.  

Oh yeah!

I want to especially thank Godiva truffles for making the world a sweeter place!

Jane

 

[Traveler]

Wow. There's so much to be thankful for.
Being an American citizen, having wonderful family and friends, much more than enough to eat, wine to drink (even the boxed stuff), a solid roof over my head in a good neighborhood, a sweet boyfriend, a career that I've enjoyed and one that paid me well enough to at least contemplate retiring by 50.

Guess that's one of the good things about getting older. I appreciate everything so much more and take much less for granted. I think it's a safe bet that most of us on this site feel this way.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

 

[johnblake]

My family
My girlfriend
My friends
Good health
The technological and scientific advances that have improved our health and quality of life.
The US consititution, especially the 1st ammendment, and 14th ammendment (equal protection).

 

[GoulashBrother]

Haveing been stationed in Hungary and Bosnia for the past eight years I have a lot to be thankful for. I need to work with my company for one more year to get an early pension and ER, and I just found out last month that I might be laid off.

However, it is not the end of the world and things will work out, as they usually do.

I have a habit of giving thanks everyday because I see how the people here live and how fortunate we as Americans are.

I am thankful for:
my health
my wife
my new son
my mother still being alive
my sister
my friends
my Freedom
all the good things life has given me
being an American

I'm also thankful for finding you guys on the internet, and John, yes, I'm also glad that Bush won.

God Bless

 

[indymom]

All of the above plus my youngest son drove 12 hours to surprize me at our Thanksgiving dinner!!! My kids about drove me nuts at various points growing up, but they all turned into truly decent people. To have 4 kids do that in this society is definitely something to be thankful for.

 

[John Galt]

Yep, indymom, those teenage years were murder. But, all 3 of mine are grown now, all college grads, all settled
(well, the youngest is still bouncing around some) and all generally excellent people. Even politically conservative.
Did I do a good job or what?

John Galt

 

[Berkshire_Bull]

I'm thinkful for my health, family, freedom, the wonderful lifestyle we're able to live in the US, opportunity for education/ good life, the courageous men and women protecting our freedoms, and of course the GOP.