Gratitude

it's time to be thankful again ....

do we really have to wait until we're told to be thankful, once a year?

you know me ..... whining is not just a profession: it's an aptitude, a gift, and a skill that i practice every day .... but still ....

a dear friend of mine died last week; it was a long time coming and it wasn't a lot of fun .... then i went to a funeral a couple of days ago .... i know a lot of dead people, but there's something about the sounds a shovelful of dirt hitting a wooden box makes: it's the emptiness of forever .... it made my eyes very very big, and i looked far over the cemetary fields to the california hills beyond .....

i could feel that emptiness fill me ..... emptiness takes up a lot of space ....

gee, dr. pete .... what's the point? why don't you just get to the fucking point?

well, dear reader .....

i tend to forget how good things really are .... i'm not referring to the democratic midterm victories; they'll fuck that up in no time at all ....

no ..... every morning i get out of bed and can walk, that's really a good day, and i'm not kidding .... every day as i go through my routines, diapers and all (not mine, not quite yet), it's a good day .... i could go on and say that i'm able to walk, talk, and take nourishment ..... i could say that i'll get out and ride my bike today, because it's a tradition i've had for decades now: thanksgiving means i go out on two wheels, come hell or high water, rain or shine .... i like to do hill climbs so i can bag the view: putting it all in perspective means that i have to get real small in relation to the world around me .....

i know i'm in bad trouble when i start taking myself too seriously .....

but the point is, as much as i complain--and you know i do--things are pretty good ..... and don't you let me forget it .....

well ......

good friends will stop by tomorrow; i think i'll have a fire in the fireplace .... i've got a nice bottle of champagne in the refrigerator, which i'm looking forward to, and i'll spend the day in the kitchen, preparing food .....

that's always a good thing .... then we get to eat ....

there are way, way too many people--around the world and in this country--who don't get to do that .....

i hope your lives are full and rich; i hope you find them full of blessings .....

have a very happy thanksgiving .....

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PETER KAUKONEN, San Francisco Bay Area guitarist, has played, toured, and recorded with Black Kangaroo, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Johnny Winter.

3 Comments

Maureen Valley says:

I'm a little late in posting to this editorial...but just got to thinking about all the things I take for granted (but am thankful for) in any given day. I, too, celebrate waking to each day with the ability to communicate, ride my bike, eat good food, drink good wine, listen to my music, sleep in a warm bed and have a comfy roof over my head. I'm thankful for my 87 year old mother's continuing spirit in spite of the obstacles she faces each day..for my 41 year old son's zest for life and my husband's unending tolerance of the crazy woman he married 45 years ago.

I'm also thankful for this web site and for the genius behind its founder.

Ok..I'm done. Back to the above mentioned good wine.

M.V.

Submitted by Maureen Valley on Thu, 07/17/2014 - 10:50
Tony Stewart says:

well sir, and I think it might be sir calling day, and I'm thankful someone still at least knows what it sounds like, sir that is, so I'm thinking sir, may I blast a couple of your songs thru my head between motley crue and aerosmith cuz I always so loved the tapes between the shows and so I think and think and think and I'm pretty sure someone else knows what the inside of my brain sounds like and anyway US Sex yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! et I know lots of dead people too and most of them like me.........so it goes
It ain't exactly a quarter inch plug but If ya want to sit on my lap I am sure you will hear something....plug me in, plug me in, I gotta dance....

On a seriouser note, seriouser is probably a word now, I've been reading a lot again, Pollyanna is freaking awesome if you can forget the movie......

So Scarlet,,,,I don't really give a damn,,,,loaded, that sounds like a good idea, just give me about thirty seconds, twenty-nine, twenty-eight, Jim dandy to the rescue

Submitted by Tony Stewart on Thu, 07/17/2014 - 10:51
Scarlet says:

No, we shouldn't have to be told to be thankful once a year. But timing wise it's perfect to be thankful now to the following:

1.To you, Dr. Pete; for your aptitude, gift, and skill that you practice every day. I am thankful for all the time you spend writing your editorials that "tells the truth like it is".

2. I am thankful to the Lebanese people who with their human chain have at least stalled temporarily any planned American Invasion of Iran.

3. I am thankful that Americans still have passports.... for now at least.

Tomorrow I'm going to get loaded and be thankful for al thing things I still have and Friday I'll pick up where I left off.

Submitted by Scarlet on Thu, 07/17/2014 - 10:52

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