This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

I'm Thankful...Really!

Being thankful requires thinking...ouch.


It's Thanksgiving and in that frame of mind, I began to contemplate the things for which I'm most thankful. It's a strange list to say the least, but then, I suppose it suits its author. 

Obviously, I'm thankful for my family, even though they're slowly driving me insane. They'll tell you it's a short drive, since I'm already close to that destination. Well, it comes with the territory of being a writer. After all, my best friends are imaginary.

As a writer, I'm thankful for my critique partners: Atilla the Holmes, Genghis Griep, and Ludwig von Frankenstein. As their names imply, they each have their strengths (shudder) and whip my words into shape.

Find out what's happening in Cummingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I'm thankful for my dog, Shadrach, even when his slingers reach the top of my walls and require pulling out a ladder to remove them. I don't know why I bother. They'll be back tomorrow. Why I let my family talk me into an English Mastiff, I'll never know. It must have been after receiving a critique from Genghis Griep and I needed some levity in my life. What was I thinking?

I'm thankful for my home, humble though it may be. It's ours and the mortgage is affordable. I really don't mind that the linen closet is little more than a washcloth closet and requires a hydraulic press to close it.

Find out what's happening in Cummingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I'm thankful for my gourmet son who loves to cook for us. I wish he were available every night, although my thighs are thankful he isn't. Of course, that wish is a double-edged sword. He used to think his momma was a good cook. And I was. Really. That, however, was before I got tired of thinking up meals. Who wouldn't after 40+ years of three meals a day? Besides, now my imaginary friends demand all my creativity. 

Did I say I'm thankful for my dog, Shadrach, even though he eats me out of house and home? At least his bark, it's as big as his appetite, merits his wages. No one told me he'd reach 195 pounds and want to sit under my desk when the neighbors shoot off fireworks. Do you know how hard it is to type when the desk keeps moving? 

I'm thankful for the hub who puts up with a wife who talks to the characters in her current work in progress. He's even been known to come up with some great plot ideas and he's a whiz at naming things. 

So, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving ... besides turkey?

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?