20081116 Thanksgiving 08

Cynicism can take on the aspect of coolness when you are young. I spent years believing that I did not really have anything to be thankful for; everything that I had was the direct result of my being so cunning and clever. As a result, my observance of Thanksgiving has been less than authentic over the years.

Ames broke ground by being the first mass merchant to throw tradition out the window and open on Thanksgiving Day and, newly divorced and full of cynicism, I always set myself up to work that day. By the time I moved on to Big Lots, nearly every retailer had joined the new holiday shopping tradition and I was able to keep my cynical tradition going.

Granted, I think that I have been a better than average steward of my future. However, in many ways, I am an incredible idiot. I have had good guidance and good fortune. I have much to be thankful for. At the risk of sounding boastful, there is no better time than Thanksgiving to take inventory of good fortune which has befallen me.

Apparently, most people do not believe that I had anything to do with the first item on the list. People constantly tell me that I am very lucky to have retired in my thirties. While I do realize that there were countless factors outside of my control that made this possible, I am human and it would not hurt to stroke my ego by giving me a little bit of the credit. I decided to set straight a friend of mine who was, I thought, getting scammed by Amway and ended up becoming an independent Amway business owner. I ignored my friends who told me it would never work. I shrugged off my parents who would never think of shopping from Amway instead of going to the stores they visited out of habit. I refused to give in when others quit including the friend who I originally tried to help but who became my sponsor and his sponsor who had become like a big brother to me.

So I am lucky that I do not need to go to work and can live my life like a character from Brideshead Revisited only slightly less gay. I have a nice warm house off in the woods and the mortgage was paid off in thirty months. I have thoroughly planned out the house I will build in a couple of years which will allow me to never need to buy electricity or heating oil again. I have no debt and income that is guaranteed no matter what the economy may hold. Three times a year, I go to Florida for two weeks or so to spend time with my father and see that his affairs are in order. Apart from that I take nine vacations a year, generally staying some place where the concierge takes care of things for me.

I would like to be given some credit for what I have. I live sensibly and spent years denying myself any extravagance. When I worked for a living I brown bagged it every day and never bought myself a latté. I have two Chevrolets and no BMWs.

What I am most thankful for is family. I have a son who, at fifteen, still thinks that I am the coolest guy around. I have a very beautiful girlfriend who accepts all of my quirks. No one ever meets them or hears about them and tells me that I am lucky. For some reason, I do get credit for them as if I created them. I might be able to give my ex-wife credit for my son but he is simply a good kid and would be under any circumstances.

I have come to realize that I am lucky to have what I have so this year Thanksgiving has more meaning than in past years. Because of that, the turkey is going to be moister and the cranberries twice as sweet. I hope that you, Dear Reader, have a very special Thanksgiving.