I give thanks for my ten toes. As appendages go, they are somewhat funny looking, but I can wiggle them. They are the rudder to my feet, that in turn touches the ground.
I give thanks for my legs, the primary source of ground transportation. They have taken me through airports and strange lands when I went around the world in my youth. They take me on trips from my bed to the bathroom in the morning, to the corner story in the daytime and out with friends at night. How thankful I am to have legs.
I give thanks for the ability to walk. What a wonderful gift it is to move around on one’s own power, feel the summer sun and autumn wind. Walking centers my thinking; it grounds me onto the world of soil and concrete, plants and animals.
I give thanks for my fingers and hands. The ability to physically touch and feel soft fabrics, my cat’s fur and the letters on my keyboard. To grasp items at stores and the bottle of beer at my local bar. To pull close ones near; shake their hands, grab their shoulders and hug them tight.
I give thanks for the ability to breathe. Nothing beats inhaling fresh air. To feel it fill and nurture my lungs and body. To let my breath back out into the world where it joins the earth’s atmosphere and beyond.
I give thanks for all the people in my day-to-day goings. The heavy-set Muslim cashier woman at the local fruit and vegetable store who works all hours of the day and night. The Chinese merchants at the 99 cent shop, Mike at the hardware store, the orthodox woman at the Jewish bakery. The subway conductor and motorman, and all the people that ride the train and busses with me. How wonderful is it to not live in this world alone? To be amongst this sea of humanity at this time and in this space.
I give thanks for the ability to love others for who they are, and for those that love me for who I am. To feel connected in special ways to them emotionally and spiritually. To take pause from daily strife, and break bread with them on this national holiday called Thanksgiving. To not look at what others have, but to be thankful for what I have.
I give thanks for small things!
