Thanksgiving 2007

I am thankful for...

My parents.

The births and continued excellence
of my son and daughter.

Flying.
Landing on grass.
Playing in the sky, with aerobatics.

Playing freestyle frisbee on the beach.
Winning pool tournaments.
Winning auto races.

Flying low and slow
in an open cockpit biplane
over wandering valley streams
and cruising the surf line for hundreds of miles,
landing at the polo field in Del Mar, at sunset.

Graduating from college, against all odds.
Discovering computers, and software.

Flying at twice the speed of sound,
Mach 2 Mikie,
and at 59,000 feet over the Atlantic
while casually standing in the cockpit of the Concorde
havin' a chat with the pilots and engineer.

Living on the oceanfront for 30 years.
Ten thousand sunsets!
A thousand moonsets!
The beach, the fresh air,
the constantly changing moods of the sea
and the seaside weather.

Piloting the P-51 Mustang, and the Spitfire,
the B-17, a float plane, a sea plane, and gliders.

Getting a speeding ticket,
for exceeding the limit, in reverse,
going the wrong way in a one-way street,
while parking,
busted by a foot-cop.

Flying coast to coast and back again
in my own open cockpit biplane,
the loveliest work of art
ever to take to the sky.

And in that same beautiful open cockpit biplane,
flying around Europe for 3 months,
wandering the Alps
crossing the English Channel,
at the White Cliffs of Dover,
crossing the North Sea, and the Irish Sea
and landing in Ireland at County Donegal,
the birthplace of my ancestors,
then havin' a pint with the locals.
Aye.

Meeting the pope.
And finding the photo of the moment we met.

My hummingbirds frequent visits.
My hammock.
My home.

Success in business.
Doing it My Way.

Ferrari.

The love of many fine women,
and their eventual acceptance of why
I need to be solo.

For the sweetest gift of all,
and in such wonderful abundance:
Solitude.

The love of many good friends.
For Carol, for the last 22 years.

For all of it,
and more,
I am deeply thankful.

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Thanksgiving, 2007

Note:

It's a revealing and benefiical exercise to make a list of all the good things in your life, not just now, but great memories too. Doing this exercise, and frequently reading the list to yourself, creates positive energy in your body, and of course that's a very good thing. Try it.

Another list-making exercise that brings enormous benefits is your To Do list. Not just the normal everyday chores, but the more important ones. See Think-Plan-Do-Repeat for more on this topic.