Today is the day that we stop, think about life for a bit, then give thanks for the things we have in our lives.

Honestly, I do this everyday.

I will admit that I am one of the lucky ones.

Life is good for me now and I am thankful that it is.

However, I also know my life is good because I have the love and support of my family and friends. Without that I would not be living a life as good as I am.

After Dad died in October and I was accidentally added to the deceased list by the Coast Guard, it really brought home how fragile life actually is and how quickly things can change. Going through the grieving process for my father and facing my own mortality by reading a condolence letter to my wife due to my death made me stop and appreciate the life that I do have more than I ever did before.

Luckily I did not die and am very alive and well today, but with a different perspective on things than I had before. I think as we age we all start down this path regarding our own mortality at some point, but instead of walking slowly down it, I was forced to sprint a ways and found myself further along it than I expected or wanted at this point in my life.

Which in the long run will be a good thing, I have a feeling.

My health is better than I believed it would be at age 62, but at the same time I have made being healthy a priority in my life and work hard at it. I truly believe that having a good life includes being healthy enough to enjoy the life you want.

We have chosen a simpler and more frugal life style than many have and as a result our needs or expectations of what we have or want are different. Our home is small, but comfortable, the vehicles are a few years older, we don’t travel much, but we are comfortable with our choices and definitely live a less stressful lifestyle than most.

I even get to indulge my running shoe obsession more than I should at times. 🙂

Last night I decided to not go to one of the Turkey Trots in the area, not because of the weather forecast, but because I wanted to spend the morning with Mary. Have breakfast together, talk a bit and just enjoy each other’s company. Races are good, but spending quality time with my wife is more important to me and where I am in my life.

I am sure that I will get out there and plod along the snow covered roads for a few miles after breakfast, but I am not going to worry about it all that much. If I get a run in today, cool, if I don’t that is good too.

That is part of my life being good, I don’t have to do things, I get to do them and that change in perspective has made all the difference as I go down that road less travelled by.

Thank you for reading this and being a part of this journey. I wish you all a good Thanksgiving and focus on the good in your life, because there is more good than you believe.