All the Things I Was Thankful for Before 9am Today

• My mom:  It's her birthday.  Happy birthday, mom.  My mom's mom passed away when she was only 16 years old (long before I was born).  I think about that a lot.  I'm 34.  Every day, I thank God that my mom is alive and well.  I called her this morning to wish her happy birthday.  And I thought to myself that I am so lucky; so fortunate.  Not only because I lucked out in the mom department and have the greatest mom ever, a person who is both one of the strongest and kindest ever, but because I can pick up the phone and call her to tell her happy birthday.  That's privilege.  I'm privileged.  
• My family:  Beyond my mom.  Everybody in my family is alive and mostly well.  We're good.  Things aren't ruthlessly tough and ugly like they once were.  Nobody is a heroin addict and maybe going to die any day, like they once were.  My old man and all his violence and ugliness; I haven't seen him in years; that's all over with. 
• I'm not homeless:  Drop out of college at 19, move to San Diego, work construction and have shit go south.  Wind up sleeping in your car and wondering how you're going to piece your life back together.  Pull into a Denny's parking lot at 6am, get out and go in to brush your teeth, shave and contemplate what the hell you're going to do and how you're going to survive.  That's real.  I don't have to worry about that sort of thing these days.  
• Denise Grant: My office manager and right hand person.  Every day, I tell her, "Denise Grant, I appreciate you."  And even though I say it every day, I don't say it enough and I don't show it enough.  This person worked at McKinsey and took a leap of faith to come work with me.  She is the kindest, most gracious, most humble, most loyal, most honest, most amazing office manager any lawyer could ever have.  Again, not even 10am and I'm like, "Universe, somehow you sent Denise Grant my way and I am thankful because my firm would be kind of lonely and miserable without her."   Someday when I bounce to go be president of a university (and they're already calling), I'll have one condition: Denise comes with me.  And if it's not in the budget, just take it out of my salary.  You can't even begin to put a price on what she has and what she brings to the table.  
• I feel good:  After playing rugby, a couple bar fights and years spent being a total idiot in the gym (read: obsessed with moving heavy weight at any costs), I had totally destroyed my body.  Flashback circa 2009.  I went out to the state forest with my brother to go for a run.  I ran like 20 yards, stopped and said, "I can't do it man.  It just hurts."  My brother asks, "Is it your knee?"  Because I had torn an ACL playing rugby a few years earlier.  And I said, "It's everything man.  I'm just going to walk.  I'll meet you back at the car."  I was 28 and had utterly destroyed my body. My knees, my back, my shoulder, my neck.  Everything.  I couldn't pick up a 20 pound dumbbell without my neck going haywire and pain shooting down my arm.  Fast forward.  I hit the gym this morning (from which I call Denise Grant like 6 times every morning with a million different issues) and was pulling a sled loaded with 500 lbs on a heavy rope.  I'm so f'ing lucky.  I am so fortunate.  I am so privileged.  I could already be in a wheelchair from all the stupid things I did when I was younger.  So what if I just had a nasty sprain in my ankle back in April because I insisted on hiking 20+ miles a day in the Scottish Highlands (my little bro warned me; he was fine; it messed me up!).  So what if it's going to be another 3 or 4 weeks of rehab until I can run again.  It's all good!  I feel amazing! 

I lied.  This is not a comprehensive list.  Because there is not room to list everything.  I could sit here all night and list like 400 different things I'm thankful for.  And you know what?  That's not just because it was a special day today.  That's because every f'ing day that I wake up, if I'm healthy and ok and the people I love are healthy and ok, then everything is amazing; everything is fantastic and the rest is just gravy.  

It's a pitiable man who does not know how fortunate he is.  Be thankful.  Every day.