Not Quite Thanksgiving

It's not Thanksgiving but I'm feeling thankful for a lot of things.

I'm thankful for a job to go to.  6.7% of Americans that are looking for a job can't find one, while 17.4% are underemployed, which means that they are working but are working in jobs that are well below their skill level or are working part-time and seek full-time.

Dang.    That means that over 21 million Americans are unemployed and 55 million Americans fall into that unfortunate category of underemployed. That's a lot of people. 

Add to that the fact that I really like my job and my employer.

I'm thankful for healthy kids and grandkids.   Imagine the pain that the parents of Will McKamey are going through right now.  

There is no greater feeling than walking in the room and a grandchild screams out your name (or whatever name that they've come up with--for me it varies between Daddy Joe and Joesie).  Nothing beats that.

I'm thankful for being able to walk and talk and even breathe on my own.  I've got friends and family that right now can't do any of those things.   It certainly makes you appreciate what you do have.

I can't play basketball anymore--or, more accurately, choose not to because of the havoc it wreaks on my knees--but that's OK.  I've still got the the bicycle.

I'm thankful to live in Blount County.   I'm not a native but I've lived here almost 35 years, which is well over half my life. 

If there is a greater place to live in America, I'm not looking for it.   Here, you've got smart, friendly people.  Great restaurants (you've heard the list here before).  Perfect climate--I like it that we have four seasons.  Mountains, rivers, lakes.  Recreational opportunities on every corner. 

Every time I see some magazine do a piece on the greatest places in America and they don't include Blount County, I figure they just haven't been here.

I'm thankful for my health.  I have several friends battling cancer.  Such an ugly disease.   It isn't always the result of bad health habits and sometimes it happens despite good health habits.  

But I will continue to rely on my dermatologist (Dr. Unkefer) and my gastroenterologist (Dr. Brown) to give me an edge in the ongoing battle against cancer. 

I'm thankful for a healthy heart.  I've never taken that one for granted.  My dad had his first heart attack when I was 5 years old.  I've built a lifestyle around heart health.  So far it seems to have worked.

When I get to the top of a really hard climb on my bicycle, I've been known to say something like "I might die today but it won't be of a heart attack."

Never forget that the most important muscle in your body is the one in the middle of your chest.  You can live without a biceps muscle but you can't live without a heart muscle.  Take care of it people.

And speaking of that bicycle, I'm thankful for a sport that I can love and still do well at my advanced age. 

I'm doubly thankful for the vast majority of those drivers of motorized vehicles that respect our right to be on the road.   It is, after all, the law, folks.