Happy Thanksgiving!

So the old, dead dude Plato once wrote, "‎A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts great things."  Well, today is the day for all of us to attract great things to ourselves.   Today is the day that we should feel grateful for the things we have and I'm not just talking about the really cool bicycle you have in your garage/basement/specially-constructed, hermetically-sealed, climate-controlled "bicycle room";

(Priced at $102,417.60, is the limited edition bike from Aurumania - if you want to buy me one, I'd be grateful!)

Yes, I know some of you have one of those hidden away but today I'm talking about the other things to be grateful for, the intangibles, the things always around us but we get so caught up in our myopic "goggle vision induced existence by wearing things like this;



I admit, I'm as guilty of it as we all are.  We all get so wrapped up in the day to day survival that we forget the part about enjoying the jouney.  That's part of what got me back on the bicycle after so many years.  Once I was forced to ride my bike because of the accident that put my car out of commision for almost three weeks, I began to realize how much fun it was to commute by bike and actually enjoy the day and the time outside.  I still don't get to do it as much as I would like (as of right now, I have commuted only 2600 miles this year), there are sometimes too many circumstances (rehearsal over at 9 o'clock at night, picking up the kids, carrying things home, picking up dinner, etc.) that sometimes necessitate my driving instead of riding but I still manage to ride twice a week on average.

And it reminds me to enjoy the time.  There are days where I am just sucking wind because I'm so tired and I really ask myself what the hell I'm doing.  But then I think of the reason that I ride now.  Yes, I still do it because I enjoy it, but I also do it now becasue I'm trying to get used to riding even when I don't want to.  I ride because I want to use my two-wheeled descendent of the velocipede

(This is a Velocipede - literally meaning "fast foot")

to make a difference in other people's lives as it has made such a difference in mine.  You can read why I started to get the whole story but suffice it to say that I am glad that I did.  I have connected with so many people because of the mission of Connor's Army and I know that these connections have made a difference in my life.

But today has bee about the simple things.  For instance I sat watching THE parade today on TV and was amazing to actually relax and watch it with the kids instead of rushing around so we could get the car packed and be on the road to beat the parade traffic.  We just decided to leave later this year and as a result I got to watch a big chunk of the parade and really get to enjoy the squeals of glee as the kids responded to all the floats and balloons that came on the screen.  One of my favorites was the cast of American Idiot performing the curtain call of their show - "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".  Now, unfortunately I don't have the actual clip from the parade but I have this - just imagine the cast all bundled up in flannels, scarves, hats and fingerless gloves with the wind whipping along the street;

Watching the kids dance around, William "playing" along with his guitar and listening to the words made me realize that this really is what today is about - having the time of your life, enjoying the day, enjoying being with your family and friends.

So we get in the car and the traffic forcast isn't good.  We seem to be making all the wrong turns and just as we're about to get on an incredibly crowded Harlem River Drive we decide to cross over on 125th street and up Broadway - AND WE CUT OFF ABOUT 20 - 30 MINUTES FROM OUR TRIP!  And you knwo what - we had a great time crossing over the top level of the George Washington - something we usually don't do because we go up the other way.  But we crossed over the top and the kids got to see up and down the Hudson river as they crossed in a way that they never had before.

Thanksgiving at Mark and Laura's (Amy's brother and sister-in-law) home in Verona was, as always, a warm and cozy affair - lots of family and the occasional friend.  The highlight of course was our niece Anika!  She's almost a year old now and walking while clutching on to things. It reminded me so much of our own children and how much they've grown and it reminded me that we need to spend more time together as a family doing things - which we will be doing in the next few days!

And you know what, it was the simple things.  It wasn't incredibly fancy, it wasn't a huge catered affair.  Just plenty of friends and plenty of food.  I of course tried to keep my indulgence to a minimum since I'm hoping to do my annual after-Thanksgiving AA club ride tomorrow but I was able to enjoy myself and watch my kids have a great time playing with their cousins.  We all said our "gratefuls" around the table and my big grateful was the health of my children.  After this summer I am so grateful every day that Sarah, William and James are healthy and curious and full of life.  I was reminded all day today of the parents of Stanley and how they must be feeling this day, their first without him. 

I also thought of Lou, Tamara and Alan and how they must be feeling today without David at the table.  I know I hardly got the chance to see him in the years we were reconnected but today was a day that I was overly conscious of his not being with us anymore and how that has left a large hole in our family.  And at the same time it made me even more grateful of my children and how I have them in my life right now.  And I also became doubly convinced that I have to raise this money for Sunrise - I have to do what I can to help other children have the opportunity to grow up and just be kids for as long as they can.

Indeed, the only low point of the day was the Cowboy's loss to the Saints - who could have seen that coming.  I am in mourning in perpetuity for the Cowboys this season but I still am enjoying the days - besides it just means I have to follow the  cyclocross season on Cycling News or over at http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/.  At least the Americans are doing well right now!

Okay, so I get out on the road tomorrow and I will be able to wish you all well from the road until then, one last chance to listen to the vibes of Green Day;

	Green Day - Time of Your Life .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Stay Well and I'll See You on the Road!