Thanksgiving Eve

With Gratitude

“Where else do we get to do this?”

I looked around the room at the retirees. One had invited his daughter and son-in-law to the talk.

We sat and talked space, what a trillion is, black holes, how the laws of physics break down sometimes, and read Robert Frost and Tennyson.

Then we went outside to look at Saturn.

“I’m just a shaky old man, I can’t see it” he said.

“Dude, we all are, and thanks for reminding me of my approaching birthday.” I offered an arm, he took it, and leaned in for another look.

“Are you serious?! The ring! I…I see it! Made my day!”

He told me later about flying C-130s in ‘Nam, and seeing the stars at night. I got hung up on the bullets.

“Ever get hit?”

“Not in the body. But the plane, oh yeah, all the time. They always aim at the front, but the rounds always hit the back. You’re invincible if you’re a pilot.”

“…well…”

Man, I wish I had that nerve.

Maybe it’ll wear off if I keep hearing stories from these guys. That’s what I want to be like when I grow up.

Thanksgiving

What a Thanksgiving this year. I’m grateful for God, for the friends who helped me along the way, for family, for country, for the new house and the guys who built it, for all the kind souls and for the ones that push, for a “workday” with stories from pilots and showing people Saturn, and…for this blog, and for you.

Where else do we get to do this?

Thanks for reading, for subscribing, and discussing. Thanks for keeping me straight when I drift out of line. You’d laugh to know the tightrope that I walk when writing. I’ll always tell the truth, and that will make some people mad. I’m okay with that, but it seems good to remember that both of my grandmothers read this.

Thanks for sending along the ideas, and the thoughts. A blog, by definition, appears one-sided. The writer documents his process for the world to see.

But the reality is of a facet of a gem: for all that’s written here, Life happens out there, and this is but one little window of it.

Cheesy as it sounds, I’m glad we get to build a bright corner of the Internet together.

Soon it’ll be 2025. It’ll be time to brainstorm and scribble on whiteboards and figure out what’s next, but for now:

Thank you.

Have a rockin’ Thanksgiving.

–Josh

P.S. Sly sings it pretty good.