I am thankful for World War II veterans who don't listen to family members who chide them for boring everyone to tears with their reminiscences. I have met some through my work at the paper, and I have met some by chatting across the aisle at McDonald's over breakfast, and not a one has been boring. I feel honored to hear their stories. I am thankful for old coots who e-mail me constantly for no reason other than they think I care about what they are thinking. Truth is, I do, unless it's a long and ugly rant on, well, anything.
Life is too short for long and ugly.
That's why my favorite coot, Bob B., is so dear to my heart. One, he was a WWII pilot, so he fits the previous category. I am thankful that the divorce throes of people close to us prompt examination of our own marriages. In the past year, my husband and I have focused on how good our marriage is and how we can strengthen it, rather than on the occasional spats and misunderstandings. I am thankful for crazy drivers, as long as they don't hit somebody.