It's Thanksgiving tomorrow. Where did the past year go?

In any case, tomorrow is a day to remind all of us that gratitude is a very important part of our lives. And I am reminded, and I want to share a few things I am grateful for.

Absolutely #1 on my list: my children. I know people will think that maybe I have things out of order, but without my children, I wouldn't appreciate how important the remainder of the list is.

My children have taught me the importance of patience, unconditional love, tolerance, dedication, repitition, forgiveness, faith, hope, shared meals, traditions, get-to-gethers, family, fun, laughter and honesty.

I can't thank them enough.

More later....

One Two Many

Sometimes the line is VERY thin between what's OK and what's not OK.

In conversations, one too many opinions can halt the discussion instantly.

In relationships, one too many criticisms can divide two people beyond repair.

In life, one too many challenges can seem overwhelming and lead to behaviors caused by one too many stresses.

In the kitchen, we all know the old adage that too many cooks ruin the soup.

In business, too many chiefs create gridlock in decision making and forward progress.

In love, one too many half-truths can destroy trust.

In social events, one too many drinks can change acceptable behavior into unacceptable behavior.

Sometimes 50 is not too many, sometimes 3 is, it depends on the situation, but moderation in all things is a good rule no matter what the situation.

One may be the loneliest number, but sometimes two is "one two many".

It's up to each of us to recognize where OUR line is;some of us can creep close to the line and linger there without danger of crossing over, but others of us need to keep a large buffer between the line and where we are, recognizing our weaknesses and not welcoming temptation beyond our ability to manage it.

And isn't this exactly what life is all about? Managing ourselves. Avoiding temptation. Controlling our desires. Biting our tongues. Curbing our appetites. Finding our center.  Bringing the reality of opposition in all things to a perfect understanding of peace and joy in our souls. Forming our identity. Claiming our place. Determining our destiny.

Learning to drive through life, belting in for the ride, reading the manual, following good examples, maneuvering the curves, heeding the warning signs, practicing defensive living, watching for others who aren't as cognizant of these things, noticing and stopping for people whose lives cross our life's path, and never, ever crossing the double yellow line. Not even hugging it...

...because sometimes in life we need a buffer and sometimes even one time is one two many.

Three Dog Night "One"

Revelation

It comes without warning. The thought can slide through your mind so quickly that if you aren't paying attention you might miss it. It leaves no mark or reminder that it was there and you find yourself wondering if it was real.

Sometimes life takes strange turns that force strategic maneuvering and a reassessment of your intended direction, a need to listen carefully for clues, for hints, for that gut feeling you have always been able to trust,  for revelation.

Sometimes you make a choice based on a fear that you will never have the opportunity to revisit that moment of reality again and you want to hold onto it; sometimes you make a choice based on a fear that you will have the opportunity to repeat or revisit or rekindle something, and you are afraid to take that chance again. It's a choice of heading in the right direction that might turn your life around, or heading in an exactly opposite direction and just repeating things you would rather forget.

Revelation comes in handy at these forks in the road - choosing to go one way because you want to experience a place or person or emotion again, or choosing to go the other way because you DON'T want to repeat that experience again, or anything similar to it.

But revelation takes preparation. You have to spend time mulling things over, sorting through your thoughts, defining your choices. Then, you have to listen. And finally, you have to pay attention, because just listening isn't enough. Jumping to conclusions, making knee-jerk decisions and hasty judgments does not allow time for this critical time of contemplation, clarification and then direction.

And what comes next? The character-defining moment. Which fork do you take? Which direction do you follow, your own instant gratification based choice, a new and untested path in another direction, or the direction pointed out in that fleeting moment?

Character can be built over a lifetime and lost in a moment. We need to listen carefully and choose well.

As for me, I am still studying the road map. In silence. So I can listen.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles "A Fork in the Road"

Dead Lines

I am taking a break. I have had a non-stop 3 weeks and I need some downtime. Life seems to be on a continuous fast forward and then on occasion it REALLY shifts into even higher gear and I feel as if lightening speed still doesn't cut it.

Deadlines, and more deadlines.

It's like we spend our entire life working toward deadlines, only to end our days with a "dead line" on the heart monitor.

There's something wrong with this way of living and I plan to make some serious changes very soon - hopefully not dead lining along the way. I am just over it.

Daughtrey "Over You"

No Going Back

There are choices in life that can be changed without any trouble, and there are choices in life that cannot. How you treat people and the fall out from that is rarely completely reversible, especially when the behavior is unkind, disrespectful or downright mean.

Oh sure, hugs can be shared, a hand shake can happen, apologies can be exchanged, but the lingering memory of the hurt never goes away, and that tempers every interaction from that moment on. Forgiveness may occur, but we never forget.

We never forget.

If only we could turn back time. But we can't.

The damage is done. There's never a complete going back. It's too late. Some things are lost forever in a millisecond.

There's nothing sadder in life.

Cher "If I Could Turn Back Time"