HUMANS OF THE PFISTER | NOVEMBER 2016 | A Month of Gratitude | “Ten Thanks Per Day”

HER:

 

I am thankful for all the cherished, irreplaceable photos I have of current family and generations past.  I think my favorite are the old photos of my grandparents and my grandparent’s parents.  Nothing in particular–just the fact that their pictures still exist.

 

I’m most thankful for my husband and the fact that I have a good family.

[HIM: You don’t have to say that!]

 

And something intangible?  The character that my life has allowed me to develop.  All the traits and challenges that have made me who I am.

 

 

HIM:

I overheard you talking to the pianist about what he’d give thanks for that you couldn’t see.  So I looked up this quotation in case you came around. It’s from Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Without getting political, there’s a general undercurrent of people not accepting people for who they are, instead of one of love and openness.  It’s not just “me, me, me.”  It needs to be more “us.”

 

I don’t want this to seem shallow, but really, I am thankful for phones and computers–mobile technologies–that give us access to information, digitized photos, etc., and allow us to work remotely, travel the world, and so on–all at the same time.  Before you came over, for instance, I was sitting over there with my laptop doing some work in this beautiful hotel.

Well, this one’s easy: I’m most thankful for my wife.

[HER: You don’t have to say that!]

She keeps me grounded and helps me think about the world.  We often go through this exercise of gratitude where we try to list 10 things each day that we’re thankful for.  We don’t always achieve that, but we really try to because there’s so much to be thankful for.

[HER: Yes.  Whenever we have to stop being pissed about something, we tell each other all the things we’re thankful for–and we forget why we were upset!]

 

 

 

 

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