Thanksgiving 2009: Thankful for Liberty and More

Every Thanksgiving, one should reflect on the plethora of 'things' in life to be thankful for. A positive outlook during the holidays and everyday reflects a sanguine spirit. However, like electricity, positive cannot exist without negative. I am thankful to live in a free country with the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

The bill that banned flavored cigarettes is one example of lost liberty. I miss my Djarum Specials (clove cigarettes) and feel this suppression is a violation of my constitution right.

Happiness is a lifelong pursuit because positives cannot exist without negatives. The unfortunate fact is, we could not appreciate joy if there were no sorrow.

This Thanksgiving, I am also grateful for the right to life. If I lived in China or North Korea, one of my two children (probably my daughter) would not be here due to population control. However, life is taken away in America by abortion and capital punishment. A very controversial subject, I would rather a woman abort a life than dump their newborn in a dumpster. As for the death penalty, there are certain actions that warrant termination of a life and liberty.

Personally, I could not imagine ever having an abortion. My kids are my world and I appreciate the positive influence they have on me. When I am feeling negative about work or life, they constantly motivate me. Raising children can be very difficult and tasking but is also the most rewarding job. It seems for each of life's challenges the magnitude of enjoyment equals the level of complexity.

Thanksgiving is a time to appreciate and enjoy the idiosyncrasies of your entire family. Embracing differences can be tough but what a boring world it would be if everyone were the same!

I am also thankful for our home but being a homeowner has its downfalls. When you rent, you usually don't need to worry about property upkeep but give up an asset that could pay off later. The accomplishment of homeownership and completing home improvements is a wonderful feeling. I am grateful for the liberty to own and maintain my own property.

In a time when unemployment is high, I am extremely fortunate to have job security. No job is perfect and I am lucky to work with a team that not only gets along but shares a mostly optimistic outlook. Going to work everyday can get monotonous but having great coworkers makes the task much more bearable. Thank you to those (you know who you are) that make work more tolerable. I hope my attitude reflects as positively as yours!

Laughter and smiles at work, home, and everywhere makes everything better. If you're not feeling it, force it! Being positive all of the time can be trying but well worthwhile. There are proven health benefits, including decreased stress levels, by being positive and laughing /smiling often.

To the Associated Content community: you make writing even more enjoyable! The quality of work, support and inspiration of fellow contributors is absolutely amazing. One negative that I have noticed are the attacks in the community forums. Would these responses to fellow writers fly at your place of employment? I think not. More time and care should be taken not to offend. As my Mom was fond of saying, "If you can't say something nicely, don't say anything at all." I have not been the receiver of this negativity but am saddened when I read it. As writers, we should hold ourselves to high standards and be able to write in a non-offensive, constructive manner. My advice: Choose words on the forums as carefully as when you submit content.

I am thankful for electricity, warm showers, indoor commodes, music and movies (new and old). The negative here is the high consumption and waste of electricity and water in America. I am thankful for freedom of media, which unfortunately, Chinese people lack.

A lover of the outdoors, I am grateful for the beauty of nature, four seasons and the outdoors. The only downfall here is the negative impact humans have on the environment. People need to take recycling, pollution, global warming and waste more seriously. Any small contribution you can make to decrease these effects helps.

Finally, this Thanksgiving 2009, I am thankful for technology. Computers, internet, digital cameras, video games and iPod touch (to name a few) make winter/cabin fever more tolerable and boredom less likely. However, limitations should be implemented, as too much of anything can have negative effects. Schedule a family night to play board games, sports or have Wii matches to offset tendencies (of kids especially) to 'play alone.' Another technological benefit is the advances in medical equipment that make surgery less invasive. The negative here: Doctors may downplay the seriousness of surgery. While laparoscopic techniques decrease risks associated with open surgery, do not underestimate the impact of 'going under the knife' and anesthesia.