40 Days of Thanksgiving

It has been a hard couple of months for me. Busyness has consumed me, followed closely by a couple of deep dives into depression and occasional panic attacks. Taken together, it has drained me further than I knew was possible.

Yesterday morning, I looked in the mirror and was struck by how unhappy my face seemed. I normally have a smile, or at least a pleasant expression, but yesterday, my countenance was cast down, hollow, empty.

I think there are a lot of reasons that I'm feeling (and looking) the way I am. For many reasons, I need to sit down and rethink my life - what I'm spending my time on, how I'm interacting with people... everything. But for now, the best thing I can think of to transform my doleful heart into a happy one is to give thanks. Intentionally, purposefully, genuinely.

So, for the next 40 days (until the week of American Thanksgiving, coincidentally enough), I will do exactly that. My goal is to get to 1,000 in those 40 days. You're welcome to come along for the ride, but this will be mostly for me.

So, here goes...

Things I am Thankful For:

1. An alarmingly hott wife (like, FIRE alarmingly!)
2. Two sweet sons who always love to see me
3. Chuck Norris-strength kicks from my unborn child
4. Cuddling with said wife
5. A car with a radio that works
6. "Carry On, My Wayward Son," by Kansas
7. Seeing old friends at work
8. Knowing exactly what I have to do each day
9. Good health
10. The ability to walk
11. Daily standup meetings
12. A really nice computer at work
13. Really fast internet at work
14. Two HUGE monitors at work
15. Admin privileges on my work PC
16. A climate-controlled place to work
17. Free coffee at work
18. Reading Proverbs to my family at breakfast
19. A wife who loves patterns and order (see below for an EGGsample of this)
20. Microsoft Excel
21. My iPad
22. A Bible always available, whenever I want it
23. Prayer
24. Birdsong
25. An umbrella covered with smiley faces