Machka 

What are you thankful for?

Ekdog

I'm thankful for people like you who are willing to speak out against the madness.

MikeRides

I'm thankful for a decent-paying job and the clean bill of health I received at my last physical. I'm also thankful that my late best friend's wife returned safely from two consecutive tour of duties overseas this year.

Machka 

Wonderful!

wahoonc

I "bought" out that madness years ago. I keep a running list during the year of things that I know that family members want or need and purchase them when I find a decent deal. The bulk of my shopping is done for the year by October. I do a fair bit on line too making it even easier.

Aaron

Roody

I'm thankful that this zombie thread was revived so I could read these messages from our forum friend who has since passed away. What a beautiful message from a beautiful guy! I'm also thankful for BF and particularly this LCF forum, and all the cool people who make reading it a pleasure.

Machka 

Tis the season of thankfulness again.

tmac100

I am (personally) thankful every morning I wake up. Been close to death 5 times. Now at the age of 69 I am also thankful that I can dress myself, feed myself, AND ride a bicycle - and even tour!

StarBiker

My 92 year old Grandmother just died, and nobody could really stand her. EVER! My Father is the only one who knew how to deal with her.

Walter S

How inspiring. Here's to hoping for just the right combination of deaths this holiday season.

StarBiker

Every picture isn't a rosy one.

tandempower

We can be thankful for that, since it keeps our minds that much sharper contemplating reasons to be thankful.

DMC707

Geez dude ---- thats a ---------- really insensitive thing to say , especially since if it weren't for her -- you wouldn't be around to spew your vitriol

Everytime you pass the wake up test you should say small thanks for those that came before you that ultimately resulted in you being here

StarBiker

You didn't know my Grandmother.

DMC707

Rather than continue to engage @StarBiker about his negative thoughts towards his late grandmother


I will instead say sincerely that I am thankful for both of my grandmother's (my grandfathers as well) - I did not know them well as one set passed before I was born and the other set lived 1400 miles away and I only saw occasionally , but they too , passed when I was somewhat young . They were not a huge influence in my life sadly , because of the circumstances, but there is no denying the biological fact that without them, I simply would not exist . - In a way, if it were not for the other poster's crude and insensitive remark about his own experiences with his grandmother , I may not have taken the few minutes to reflect and remember what I could about my own grandparents



- I am thankful for the support of my family as I am away from home for an extended period of time with a grueling career task. I am away from my comfort zone, my bikes, the 4 legged friends I share my life with , and other things -- so without their support, I couldn't do what I do

I am thankful for the warm acceptance of my fellow man in this new location, even though its a reality that when I get to go home in a month or 2, I may never see these new friends again,

- I am thankful for the strength my re-kindled affiliation with my religious organization provides me every day when I need to ask for the power that can be unlocked in prayer and meditation

- I'm thankful to be in a place that doesn't really get cold, even though many parts of the country are bracing for the first wave of cold weather to blow through

I could keep going

wipekitty

Well...I'm grateful that I found cycling!

On the topic of death: it's been nearly three years since my father passed away, and it was right around this time of year when I realized that he was on his way out. I didn't know the area very well or really have friends (other than my partner), and cycling saved my butt. I rode alone and rode hard. It got me through.

I'm also grateful for being healthy enough to commute to work and ride for fun, a supportive partner, a job that pays the bills, and opportunities to apply for other jobs that would pay more bills and take us to other exciting parts of the world...

Machka 

I may have mentioned this before ... if not here, then elsewhere ...

I am VERY thankful for my parents and grandparents. They were and are role models in many different ways, but applicable to this thread, my grandparents on my mother's side, in particular, and my parents were always very active. They were the ones who got me into walking and cycling.

Walter S

I'm thankful for my father. He died when I was 26. He was a tall 6'4 big man (I'm 5'7). He died of heart disease. Lived on a very rich diet full of french creamy sauces and such and got very little exercise, especially since he lost a leg (tumor) when he was a young adult. Before that he was very athletic and won state tennis championships. After the tumor he got into ping pong for several years but then gave that up and the most exercise he got for 20 years was getting to and from the car.

What does that have to do with cycling? He was a different sort of role model than Machka's parents - but a role to learn from nonetheless. Like "do something besides this". I was already into cycling and even though I had and rode a bicycle some I was mainly riding motorcycles and dirt bikes. His lesson steered me more heavily into bicycles. What you like is largely a choice (or can be), and then you find nuggets of truth and watch for rewarding outcomes to reinforce your choice - that's how I think of it anyway. Attitude Engineering. I also became vegetarian after he died eating a meat rich diet (meat dominated every meal).

I just passed the age when he died (57 shortly after his birthday). So it's been on my mind. Living longer than a parent feels strange in some ways. Like I'm not well seated or something.

To me one of the scariest things (that I've witnessed in others) is to discover that you can't do basic things like climb a flight of stairs. That won't happen to me as a result of slow deterioration because I'm testing myself physically every day. The easy stuff is not a question if your whole life is made up of harder efforts. Most of the people on BF can't identify with that level of inactivity but it happens in the real world. Many people seem to reach a point were their goal is to exert themselves as little as possible. Then it's a downward spiral to the grave - as is life itself but only faster.

I'm not saying all my fears are rational and scientific. They're obviously shaped by isolated events. If I had not changed my own life or even modeled mine after his, a negative destiny is not the only outcome. But if my irrational fears have contributed to me being on a bicycle a lot more then so be it

Roody

I'm not sure anybody under 60 could relate to this but I sure do. We do everything we can to preserve functioning, but in the end it's largely a matter of luck, and definitely something to be thankful for! I have three serious conditions, can't really ride a bike any more, but I manage to walk 30 miles a week and I still work full-time at a physically and mentally challenging job. I can't predict how long this will last, but I can remember to be grateful every day.

Roody

I had a grandmother who suffered emotionally for years before she got sick and died. She seemed to want to make others suffer along with her, and I was thankful (in some ways) when she finally did die. Now, many years later, I can remember some very nice things about her when I was a little kid, so I'm also grateful that I can once again have some positive memories of her.

tmac100

Years ago when I almost died (in a major hospital because the Specialist screwed up)and when my ex visited me in the hospital she said "Glad you are here. It was not time for you to go."

FWIW:

Life is a sexually transmitted disease process...
During this disease process there are all kinds of side effects...
One of these side effects will kill each of us!
We just do not know, in advance, which side effect will kill us,
Nor when.

StarBiker

My Grandmother was an admitted *****. One of the fun things she would do is give somebody something, and months, or years later demand it back. And she was doing this kind of stuff when she was a younger women.
She was not a nice person.
My Father did tell me she was the only one out of his parents that took him anywhere when he was young. To a ballgame, to the movies......My Father was the oldest out of four, and was the smartest. (My father was, and is light years ahead of his siblings) Maybe she knew that? Maybe that's why her other Son's didn't think much of her? And she promised to help one of hers sons raise his kids, and then went on her own way.
She also gave one of her sons a lot of money towards his house, and to redo it. He could do all the work himself.
Still one of her sons couldn't stand her, and my Father was the only person that knew how to deal with her.
She was a trip man. I saw her ten years ago, and she did not know who I was, and my Father said don't say anything to her. Which was easy to do. I couldn't stand her!
Funny, I knew she would be the last of my Grandparents to die. Old Bat!

Roody

It's sad that the hurt and anger must reverberate through the generations. I hope you and your family are finally finding some relief.

3alarmer 

.
...I'm thankful that the Home Depot was open until 9 PM today on a Sunday.
And that the parts I ordered to fix the kitchen faucet were correct and I fixed the leak.

wipekitty

I'm thankful that I have a partner who takes care of a lot of the house stuff...especially phone calls, dealing with schools, making sure that people and animals are fed, and so on...

Every time he's out of town, I realize how much work it is (and how utterly incompetent I can be). I'm also thankful that he'll be back tomorrow.