A week from today (Thursday) is of course Thanksgiving, and that means it’s time for my annual list of things I am thankful for.
Some of the things on this year’s list I never thought I would find myself being thankful for.
They include toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, Lysol wipes and masks. Who would have thought all of a sudden one day those items would vanish off the store shelves … and then when they made it back onto the shelf, they had to be rationed to a limit of one each.
I find myself being thankful for things I used to take for granted and hope those things will return soon. For example, going places when I want to, with whom I want to, and stay as long as I want to.
I’ll be thankful for when the day returns that I can watch my grandsons play football, basketball, baseball … and yes, even hockey … in person and not on my cell phone.
I’ll be thankful when I can watch our granddaughters at gymnastics and dance. I know some of you guys thought you would never hear those words come out of my mouth, but I do miss those events — in moderation, of course.
I am not much of a hugger, but I’ll be thankful when I can shake hands again.
I am thankful for ZOOM. It has helped stay connected with out-of-town friends. We even had a couple of group Zoom garage parties.
I am thankful for Rock County, the city of Luverne, and the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce because our local leaders have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help all of us navigate through the pandemic.
I am thankful for my staff for their efforts in publishing a paper and shopper every week throughout the pandemic.
There is really nothing good about the pandemic, but in an odd way, the pandemic has brought our family closer together. I don’t necessarily mean in a physical way, you know, because of social distancing and all, but we have stayed in closer, more frequent contact through social media.
Yet when the pandemic dust storm settles — and it will someday, hopefully sooner rather than later — I am most thankful for my wife, Mary. Day in and day out she has put up with my frequent mood swings, my loud TV, and my just being a pain in the rear end.
That said, I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.