As a five year old I was convinced that Batman was the coolest superhero who ever lived. In the mid 1960's, I began a dream that, one day, I would become a crime fighting superhero carrying everything I needed in my utility belt and driving the most awesome car on the planet. Now, here I am fifty years later and you are probably wondering if my childhood dream ever came true. Well, let me just reiterate the fact that no one has ever seen Bill Kirby and Batman in the same room at the same time.
Let's just pretend for one moment that I didn't become Batman. That's kind of where my mind has been wandering today anyway. With this being Thanksgiving Eve and all, I was thinking that becoming a more thankful person is something we can all become. No super cool utility belt or tights required. And the best part is that being thankful doesn't have to be limited to one day out of the year! We can be thankful every single day.
I believe that an essential step in the thankfulness process requires us to practice being attentive to the people and events around us. To me, being thankful means looking at where you are in your life's journey and becoming accepting of the fact that who you are today has been shaped by everyone and everything that has come into your life. Of course, that means that we need to recognize that each experience good or bad has had a divine purpose because the lessons we've learned have shaped us into who we are at this very moment. Once I finally realized this, I became more understanding and less critical of everyone and everything in my life. Instead of complaining about my life, I became thankful that God had a master plan for me. Think about that in relation to your life for minute. Go ahead. I'll wait.
I guess, simply put, being thankful means to appreciate the blessings in life of family and friends. It means being glad to have a hot meal and a place to lay your head at night. It's about seeing something good and positive in everything.
So why not take some time this Thanksgiving to celebrate you, your life and all that it encompasses. Being thankful isn't just about seeing how blessed you are in this life. It's about understanding what all went into making the blessings a possibility.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go retrieve my batarang from the rooftop of The Kirbarosa...
Be well.
Bill
