My Thirty Days of Thanks...Day 28: Psychology and Sympathetic Coworkers

Day 28:  Sympathetic Coworkers and Psychology:  Yes, Psychology!  Today, a thoughtful coworker asked me to remind her to check to see if our lamination was finished in the building library.  I answered, "You want me to remember something?"  I proceeded to tell her of an event that happened just hours before at home.  I had just finished warming up Jackie's car, come inside, and taken a sip of coffee.  Less than five minutes later, she was ready to be on her way, and the car keys were gone.  I frantically searched the key rack, my pockets, the computer desk, the counter tops....the inside of the refrigerator....NO KEYS!  After a few more moments of key searching, I found them tucked under a piece of mail on the counter top of the island in the kitchen.  A few tense husband-wife moments, then everything was fine again...except now I was the one worried about my questionable short-term memory.  If I understand the sympathetic coworker's explanation of my dilemma correctly, there is more than one kind of memory loss, and mine is probably the kind in which there were so many things to do, that my brain was thinking about the next thing as I was finishing the first thing.  That's how I can show up at work with...

...mismatched shoes or socks (Old Reason: I can't see in the bottom of my closet.  New Reason: I was thinking about the upcoming combing of my hair.)
...whiskers (Old Reason:  There are too many scabs from the prior day's shaving.  New Reason: I was gonna shave, and before I knew it, I was in the shower.)
...stinky armpits (Old Reason: I either forgot to put on my deodorant, or I was unaware that the deodorant stick was all the way down to the plastic.  New Reason: In my brain, I was already brushing my teeth.)
...zipper down (Old Reason:  With that belly, I can't even see my zipper anymore.  New Reason:  In my brain, I was already putting my coat on and running out the door.)

So that's it!  As I was coming inside and instinctively putting the keys down, I was thinking about my lunch and food and stuff.  So yes, I am thankful for that gal who solved my memory problem, and her profound knowledge of psychology.  

My Thirty Days of Thanks...23 through 27...Gratefulness Unexpected

As we enter the Christmas season, my thirty days of  thankfulness continues in the most unexpected places.  Today I am thankful for:

The gals and me at the football game

Don't be a curmudgeon
while you're watching
the game!

Day 23:  Football:  I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking, Isn't this the guy who was always picked last for any team in gym class because he couldn't throw, hit, run, or even look the least bit coordinated on a field of any kind? Isn't this the guy who watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and the half-time show, usually dozing before the end of the first quarter?  Isn't this the guy who realized halfway into the second period of his daughter's soccer games that the teams switched sides, and the goalies switched goals?  Yes, that's me.  Well, today they put me in a donated suite on the 50-yard line with my wife and daughter, several of my daughter's friends and colleagues from her college days, and lots of good food and beverage, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching a bunch of red and orange clad football players run from one end of the field to the other.  I listened to a whole roomful of football connoisseurs following the lead of a group of nuns in the front row of seats in the suite crying FOUL! when the players didn't do as they wanted them to do.  I enjoyed the view and the company of a very special guy who was there for us during our family's losses these past few years, I met some new friends, and, of course, I partook of the abundance.  I wasn't a curmudgeon while watching this game...or, at least, I tried not to be one, but they kept stopping that clock all the time!  That clock was one of my focal points...nothing like a descending digital counter  to keep me calm.  I tried not to say things that made my wife chuckle and my daughter shake her head.  I did well, because it only happened a few times during the whole game!  So, yes, thanks for football! 

Our view...Photos by Karen

The youngest of the new generation
at our Thanksgiving celebration

Day 24:  Remembering the Day - Two days after Turkey Day, I am thankful for those who were no longer at our holiday table, for their absence  reminded me how important they are and how much they still mean to me...I will always miss them; for those who continue to grace the room with their presence, for they are the present...the providers of the feast and the venue, and the enablers of the celebration; and now for the newcomers, the children and their significant others, and the next generation...the blessing of children that are a sign that things can continue.  

Day 25:  Boring Sundays:  Today there were no plans after three days of jam-packed activity, visiting and visitors. Today, with the church obligation being fulfilled on Saturday evening, and the exhaustion of the increased noshing and socializing being on hold for a bit, nothing is scheduled.  If I feel like going to the basement and unpacking the Christmas decorations and supplies, I will.  If not, it'll happen next week.  If I want to throw in a load of laundry, I will.  If not, it'll still be there tomorrow.  If we choose to watch some television, we will.  The house smells like the beginnings of a giant pot of beef vegetable soup courtesy of Jackie.  I am truly thankful for lazy, schedule-free, comfort-filled Sundays!

Day 26:  Facebook:  Not the kind with all the political jokes and jabs, and not the kind with the prayers and Pinterest (What the heck is that, anyway?), not the kind with the apps and arguments, or the kind with dog rescues and deal retrievals, or even the kind with groups and games.  While these are all sometimes fun and informative, I am happiest with the Facebook that has enabled me to reconnect with seven classmates in February of this year, and now today, with a good friend who was in my wedding.  Though we lost touch in recent years, a simple Facebook message brought us to a lunch full of reminiscing about times spent with each other's families, and out and about, back in the '70's and early '80's.  I had never even thought that we'd locate each other, but today, we were having lunch in a little family restaurant, and  updating each other on our childhood families, and on our current families, and just talking as if nearly 30 years hadn't passed since we'd seen each other.  I think we both turned out fine.  Thank you Facebook, for bringing the best thing about social media into both our homes and allowing us to reconnect!

Day 27:  Exaggerated weather forecasts:  I am thankful for the result of a meteorologist who overdoes the forecasting for the anticipated snowstorms, for I prefer to drive to work, not slide, and I prefer to go to school in the winter, not during Spring Break or during the summer...and the old man prefers to have NO SNOW!

My Thirty Days of Thanks...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Days 20, 21 and 22....Three more days of thanks with the last one being the big day!

           Day 20:  Tasty Klair!

                          

5-21-1983
Jackie and Joe

Day 21:  Month-a-versaries:  It may seem corny.  It may seem strange. Hallmark doesn't even have a card for it.  It's the day of the month that marks the day of the month that the two became one...or in our case, the two eventually became six.  It begins with a promise, then changes occur:  other little beings add to the probability that there will be some conflict; finances have their highs and lows; physical changes occur (and on me, that's an understatement!); and the mind can sometimes be less powerful as it holds so much more in the way of memories and day-to-day necessities, making it easy to lose sight of that initial promise. It didn't happen intentionally, it just happened during that first year, that one of us said Happy Month-a-versary, and it's become a psychological celebration ever since.  Somehow, whatever the issues of the month are, and no matter what the future holds, we acknowledge our month-a-versaries.  So, Happy Month-a-versary, Dear, and only six more 'til the big 3-0! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Day 22:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!  My favorite day of the year.  With all the hustle and bustle of the everyday, there is this one day during which we gather, eat, talk, laugh, 

remember, anticipate, and love...this year, with more than twenty family members at my sister's home.  Shame on the retailers who have allowed Black Friday to seep into this sentimental day.  You'll not see me near a store, or shopping online on this day.  May your holiday be filled with fun, food, family, friends, and fulfillment....If you happen to be reading this, know that YOU are someone that I'm thankful to have in my life!

My Thirty Days of Thanks...17, 18, and 19

Stefana Giacchino
a.k.a. Grandmom
on her 70th birthday
in 1970

Here we go....three more days of things to be thankful for.  

Day 17:  Grandparents:  We lost my last grandparent, my maternal grandmother on this day in 1979.  I remember my grandparents so fondly. Never would someone be so happy to see my sisters and I as any of my grandparents.  Never would anyone be so boastful of anything my sisters or I did.  I remember them worrying about our troubles as if they were their own.  I remember my parents as grandparents, so proud of their grandchildren's varied accomplishments:  whether it was military service, musical genius, culinary expertise, martial arts, academic success, or even just their personalities.  I remember them being sympathetic toward their grandchildren's growing pains.  Now, I am a grandparent, and I can already see why they were the way they were with their grandchildren.  I am thankful for grandparents.....past, present, and future!

1986 - John and Daddy
Happy Birthday, John!

Day 18:   Kids not being able to come to dinner:  Let me explain this one. Last Sunday, we had dinner in our home with three of our four children and their families and friends present.  Today, the fourth kid and his fiance came to dinner, and the cycle was complete.  I remember my mother having everyone to her home for dinner, and if someone couldn't make it because they had other family obligations, he or she'd be there the next week, and the cycle would be complete.  I'm thankful I have four kids who want to come home for dinner whenever they can.

Day 19:  Happy Birthday, John!  I am thankful for all my kids.  My second son, John, was born on this day in 1986.  There is no doubt in the world that he is my son!  He looks like me.  He's the one who sees a cut on my elbow and asks, "Shavin' again, Dad?"  I tell him never to comment on my looks, because thirty years from now, he's gonna look just like me!  He has a subtle sense of humor, a hint of absent mindedness, a keen eye for detail, and a compassionate caring demeanor.  I am glad he is my son.  Happy Birthday, John!

It's almost here!

My Thirty Days of Thanks....DAY 16: CRANKS, PRANKS, BLANKS, AND THANKS

Day 16:  CRANKS, PRANKS, BLANKS, AND THANKS

CRANKS:  This morning, I forgot my work ID with my fob attached, and needed to rely on a coworker to enter the building.  I forgot to shave, so I survived the day with no cuts and no makeup, but looked real scruffy.  I forgot to take my pill, so I had palpitations, my stomach felt funny, I had a headache, I was cranky, I didn't feel like doing anything, AND I thought you were all out to get me!  When I got to work and had been talking with my coworkers for a few minutes, I suddenly began having to adjust my collar on my mock turtle neck shirt. Upon further investigation I noticed that the tag was right smack in the middle of my Adam's apple and taking my breath away.  Rather than follow my friends' suggestion and go to the back of the room and turn my shirt around, I went to the men's restroom to fix it, and announced without pressing my censor button that there was a 90 % chance I'd have to use the room for other purposes when I got there anyway, so it'd be worth it. Those odds were right on!


   

The new student in our rodent friendly classroom
Photo courtesy of Ms. R.

PRANKS:  This  afternoon, I went to my fourth grade class...the one where, just a few days before, I removed a deceased, trapped  rodent that had made the room uninhabitable.  When I arrived, all the students, the teacher, the student teacher, and my fellow reading assistant were giggling.  I proceeded about my business and began checking homework, and the giggles grew into guffaws.  I probably blushed a little, and giggled a little while pretending that I knew what everyone else was so happy about, then realized that, somehow, I was the target of a yet unrealized practical joke.  I made eye contact with my coworker and asked discreetly, "Is my zipper down?"  Well, apparently I wasn't as discreet as I thought, because everyone was out of control, and it wasn't even Thrilling Thursday!  Finally, one of the adults asked me if I was ready to meet my new student. My body language at that time said, "I guess so," but my mind said, "What is wrong with these people?"  Finally, I looked at my work table, which I had closely passed several times, and not acknowledged.  There, in one of the student's chairs was a huge, black rodent in need of a visit to the orthodontist. He had a sign attached to him saying that our class was rodent friendly and that there was always room for one more!   Finally, the cat, or in this case, the rat, was out of the bag, and I was happy that this creature didn't reek, and wouldn't need to be carried to a remote location for disposal; that I could finally begin the tasks at hand without having a whole classroom of kids and adults laughing uncontrollably for my benefit;  and most of all, that my zipper was indeed up!

BLANKS:  My wife and I had had our dinner schedule compromised this week with functions keeping us in separate locations on both Wednesday and Thursday.  I announced to her that I'd cook the roast chicken for our Friday dinner for two since I get home before she does.  So, I came home and cleaned that sucker, inside and out, and read on the package that he'd have to be in the oven approximately 25 minutes per pound.  My usually mathematical mind was drawing a blank as to the total time required to cook him, but soon I had figured that 4 times 25 % = 1 hour, and the beast was 5 pounds, so he would need 1 hour and 15 minutes.  So, at 4:30, the dinner was on its way to being edible!  When Jackie got home around 5:30, I explained my logic about the cooking time and her instantaneous, matter of fact response was, "So it's got another hour and a half to go."  I stared at her, knowing she was having one of those "You've done it again" moments.  After about 7 and a half seconds of staring and thinking, I gasped and sighed.  My mathematical brain had a momentary toot, and our already famished tummies just couldn't wait that long for the feast. So, we put everything on hold and went to our favorite buffet and stuffed ourselves silly.

THANKS:  For Day 16, because each faux pas resulted in a smile or a laugh, and I'm thankful for both of those....and Day 17 has NO choice but to be better!

My Thirty Days of Thanks....Part Two

For some reason, all the days' appreciation in this, the second section of thankfulness, begin with the letter 'F'.......and on this day, I am grateful for.....  

Day 9:  Fridays...and hiding behind a bookcase at work to do the happy dance!

Day 10 - Fall Foliage courtesy of
my talented little sister, Lisa

Day 10:  Fall Foliage:  Today I am thankful for my mulching lawn mower.  All those red, orange, and yellow leaves have fallen in the backyard creating a colorful fall blanket on the ground.  Wait a minute!  Now it's all dried up and brown and ugly. So....today I am thankful for my mulching lawn mower!

Day 11: Food, Family, and Freedom...I am thankful for the Veterans...my friends, and their parents, siblings, cousins....thank you all and thanks, Dad, for all the sacrifices you've all made for us!  We were blessed to have a delicious homemade Italian dinner this Veteran's Day, made by my honorary Italian wife (She's an honorary Italian, not an honorary wife!) at a table surrounded by family and friends.

Day 11 - Thanks Dad!
Day 12 - We miss you.....

Day 12: Fathers:  Mine was the best!  Gentle beyond words, he was the guy who was the voice of reason.  When I told him I had a trouble, he calmly made it better in a voice I can still hear today.  When Mom, who never drove, needed to get somewhere, Dad was always there with keys in hand, never complaining.  He was the typical Dad: moving his foot around the floor of the car not saying a word when he taught me to drive, praying I would hit the right pedal; taking any level Math book when I had difficulty solving that Algebra problem, reading the material, and showing me the way without giving me the answer; and, of course, lifting me by the shirt, pinning me against the refrigerator, and demanding an apology to Mom that ONE time I told her I hated her!  I remember the last days when he was afflicted by Parkinson's Disease, and I was sitting with him at a function at his assisted living facility. I held up a cookie and asked him if he wanted it, thinking he would grab it.  Instead, he worked his way to the cookie I was holding and slowly took a bite.  Poignant to say the least.  We lost him seven years ago today. I thank my father: for his profound advice, "Expect the unexpected when you have kids!", for the compassion I hope I have inherited, and for his commitment to his family.  He is, to this day and beyond, a blessing!

Day 13:  Fourth Graders.....the ones who have just enough attitude to be endearing, but not enough to be uncontrollably disrespectful.....enough dependence to be inquisitive, but not enough to be needy.....enough energy to exhaust me and keep me on my toes, but enough heart and passion to keep me working in this job for so many years.  Yes, I am thankful for fourth graders.

Day 14:  Fresh-mouthed Students - It's so rare when a student treats me unfairly.  It took me so by surprise when it happened, that I didn't know how to react.  It was a late September or early October day, and I pleasantly said to a student who was leaving one of my classrooms to attend a school in another district, "I hear you are leaving us!" and her immediate reply was, "I see your chest hair!"  I was dumbfounded, but I believe I handled the situation maturely and to the best of my ability, walking away simultaneously saying, "RUDE!" and thinking, Good riddance! Yea, I am thankful for the handful of fresh-mouthed students I have encountered over the years, for it is those few who remind me that there are many their size that are so endearingly special, and that the many are so much more powerful than the few.

Day 15:  Fifteenth.....Yes, it's the fifteenth already!  We've made it halfway through another month.  Some of us are getting paid, some of us are paying our bills and reviewing our finances, and some of us are planning for our most thankful of holidays......and I'm thankful that I'm still here, and have been able to reflect and share the first fifteen days of thankfulness!  It's too bad that it took a few thoughtful Facebook friends and the month of November to force me to sit and take the time to realize just how fortunate I am.  Days 16 through 30.....here I come!

My Thirty Days of Thanks....Part One

My thirty days of thanks begins with playing catch-up, since it is now the 8th day!  I like the idea of remembering my blessings...

Day 1 - Grandchildren

Day 1:  Grandchildren...The bigger one that calls me Grandpa Joe and the little one who doesn't talk, but I'm sure that the first word out of her mouth will be Grandpa!  Halloween became a better celebration this year!

Day 2:  Broken Drawer Fronts and Hardware, Scratched Floors,  and Builder's Quality Everything....After nearly a quarter century, our cheap as could be, kid ravaged, age worn kitchen has been renovated!  Today was the final walkthrough, and  am thankful for a team of workers and coordinators that made it all happen quickly and smoothly.

Day 3:  Kids and Parents Adjusting to the Empty Nest....a talented son who has overcome many obstacles in his first semester of college, and just made his college musical debut in the ensemble of 'The Pirates of Penzance', continuing his trend of amazing us......Who knew those struggles would be a blessing?

Day 4:  My Slow Brain: We had nothing scheduled for today. All the children were safe where they were, and it was a day to clear the head.  A little more time was spent on Facebook than usual on this day, and I finally realized that when my Facebook friends typed the word 'Day' with a number after it, they were telling what they were thankful for on that day. A few days later, I talked to my boss about it, and she confirmed that it was 30 days of thanks.   It wasn't long after that when I made a connection:   Thanksgiving is in November, and that was how this whole thing started!  I am thankful for a brain that procrastinates because I thought of multitudes of blessings at one time in order to play catch-up! 

Day 5 - Happy Birthday, Mom!

Day 5: My parents.  There goes that calendar again...reminding my family and I that this was the time of year when Mom always had a celebration for Dad because his birthday was on October 21st, and he was the Dad! We always added to the celebration by making a fuss over Mom's November 5th birthday, because she was the Mom! This picture was taken on June 16, 1996 at the Town House in Media on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. We're all missing you both today, and Happy 88th birthday, Mom...it's a blessing to have a lifetime of happy memories....

Day 6:  Political Opposition.  No, I'm not confrontational.  I don't like fighting.  I rarely talk politics because I don't like having little knots in my stomach.  This year, however, my youngest son is 18, and so ecstatic that he gets to have a voice in this election, that I have to consider myself blessed, despite the fact that our political views don't coincide.  Watching children grow and have passion is a blessing.......


Day 7:  Uncollected Trash.  I spent Tuesday pulling on my retractable ID card holder, a bad habit I picked up when I got my own fob for entry into my place of employment.  Fortunately, the Department in which I work is the proud possessor of extra retractable ID card holders, and I quickly tossed the old broken one in the trash, and attached my brand spanking new holder to my belt.  All was fine until the next morning when I got out of my car and went to let myself into the building and realized that my fob was missing.  I went to the front entrance to get in, and proceeded to tell my coworkers of my debacle.  I told them that I feared that my fob had been collected with the prior night's trash.  As soon as I went into the room where my desk is, I checked the trash can I had thrown the holder away in and lo and behold, there was the fob.  It's a blessing to have unemptied trash cans around....

Day 8:  My Wife's Make-up.  Close your mouth and unwrinkle your face and I'll explain.  For some reason, the last few mornings have been harried, and I have shaved in a moment.   That razor occasionally forms a mind of his own and moves, lickety-split and in the wrong direction,  to another part of my face and makes me look like a commercial for a slasher flick. I have two choices:  Adopt the Rip Van Winkle look and let the white whiskers flow, or cover it up with make up.  Since my facial hair becomes itchy and is the color of snow, (which I'll remind you, I'm not fond of),  I choose to cover it up.  It's a blessing to be married......

What a gift to pause and remember that out of each of life's battles comes a blessing, sometimes small, sometimes big, sometimes absurd, but always a blessing....I look forward to looking at the positive in the next 22 days!