They recently did a study showing that being grateful is good for your health and mental well being. The study also showed that while some people are naturally more grateful, ungrateful bastards like me can learn to be more grateful with practice. To be really effective, one needs to be specific.
I have a generally good life and have a lot to for which to be grateful. I am generally healthy, despite my penchant for McDonalds, lattes, and chocolate. I have good friends who accept me despite my foibles. I have been fortunate to have opportunities for interesting travel, learning experiences, and enriching hobbies. I have been blessed by having a solid upbringing by a loving mother. I was doubly blessed to meet a wonderful partner who loves me even when I'm a PTA and supports me when I need it.
This year I have a lot of extra things for which I'm grateful. During what is hopefully the worst economic conditions I will ever see, I have not only managed to stay employed, but was lucky enough to find a better job. I was given the opportunity to experience some of the best kayak instruction o the planet this summer. I was also lucky enough to be able to afford some of the most innovative and game changing products that have come out in decades.
The thing I am most grateful for is K-bug. She is a treasure. She makes the frustration of several years of infertility vanish. I am grateful to all of the people who helped us in the journey. I am grateful to her birth parents for giving us this chance and loving her enough to place her in our care. We could not have asked for a better adoption experience.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Restoring Sanity
I have to laugh at the post event analysis of The Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear. Most of the commentary I read, which was mostly left-leaning, bemoaned the fact that it didn't have more to say or didn't advance the populist agenda or wasn't an answer to Glenn Beck's rally. Did these people actually expect that it would do any of those things? Did they expect a couple of comedians who nightly lambaste the right, left, and everyone else to push an agenda? Are they really that stupid?
Sure Stewart is a lefty and makes no bones about it. But he is a comedian, not a pundit or a political figure. Unlike Beck and his ilk, Stewart knows his place in the media landscape and makes sure his audience knows as well. He makes his living poking fun at people who take themselves too seriously and the venues that give the clowns a voice. He relentlessly drills home the fact that guys like Glenn Beck are buffoons dressed up as people with something serious to say. For Stewart to put on a rally that pushed an agenda would be out of character. It would needlessly tarnish his image as court jester.
That Stewart did offer a brief statement of value at the end was more than enough. He spoke truth to power and reminded the crowd that we need to shut out the loud voices from the media and the fringes. We, the people, must forge alliances despite differences and work together to make the world a better place.
That the media made a big deal out of what the rally wasn't, makes Stewart's refrain about the media for him. They are stupid and mostly just want ratings. Why think when sensationalism gets eyeballs?
Sure Stewart is a lefty and makes no bones about it. But he is a comedian, not a pundit or a political figure. Unlike Beck and his ilk, Stewart knows his place in the media landscape and makes sure his audience knows as well. He makes his living poking fun at people who take themselves too seriously and the venues that give the clowns a voice. He relentlessly drills home the fact that guys like Glenn Beck are buffoons dressed up as people with something serious to say. For Stewart to put on a rally that pushed an agenda would be out of character. It would needlessly tarnish his image as court jester.
That Stewart did offer a brief statement of value at the end was more than enough. He spoke truth to power and reminded the crowd that we need to shut out the loud voices from the media and the fringes. We, the people, must forge alliances despite differences and work together to make the world a better place.
That the media made a big deal out of what the rally wasn't, makes Stewart's refrain about the media for him. They are stupid and mostly just want ratings. Why think when sensationalism gets eyeballs?
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