So my family has this tradition at Thanksgiving dinner where we go around the table and say what we're thankful for. Yes, we stole it from TV. Why do you ask? Probably because you do the exact same thing.

Anyway, I was sitting around waiting for work to be over the other day and I got to thinking about how, this year, I can finally accept that I have a lot to be thankful for.

Sure, I have the necessary elements of survival: food, clothing, shelter. No one's disputing that. I guess I even have all three of Locke's individual rights: life, liberty and property (it really is all about the government team right now). These are things that I've always had, that most of the people I know have, that we have a tendency to take for granted on a daily basis.

There's a lot we take for granted, by the way. I've heard the human body compared to a computer more than once in my lifetime and I'd have to say that it's a fairly accurate comparison in some instances. In both cases, a highly intricate machine is meticulously calibrated for precise operation on a regular basis. The machine works more often than not and it doesn't get enough credit for that. When the computer is down, or when we're sick, we have a tendency to bitch about the situation and make various idle threats in the general direction of the doctor or the tech administrator. I'm making an effort to appreciate the 99% of the time that things do go smoothly. Last summer, I named the credit card receipt printer at work. His name is Guy. Guy and I have deep conversations about the nature of customers and why computer issues are more often user-related than not. Guy gets me the hookup on my customer's credit card receipts in a timely manner, and I appreciate it.

But the point is, I'm being thankful. I'm thankful that today is the last day before my Thanksgiving 'break,' five glorious days of freedom which I will enjoy to my heart's content. I'm thankful that, when I get bored with watching Game Show Network, I can go to work and earn money to do things I'd do for free anyway.

I'm thankful that, when work is over and it's Sunday night and I know that I have to get up at the ass-crack of dawn Monday morning, I can go home and sit with my dog and tell my sister about all the bad phone calls and explain to my mother why I have to watch my Law & Order DVDs until after midnight and just bask in the fact that, despite their indifferent exterior, my family really does care about me just a little bit.

I'm thankful that I got a combined 1310 on the SATs. (For those of you who were wondering, I totally spanked the Verbal: 710 out of 800. The math wasn't as good, but math is the devil.) While we're talking about school, I'm thankful for the fact that I'm going to come out the other side of this semester with two A's and two B's. It was touch-and-go there for awhile: math again.

I'm thankful that I've got some pretty kewl friends, friends who will take me out on a Saturday night and feed me Three-Cheese Shrimp Dip. Yum, Asiago cheese.

I'm thankful for traditions, and the fact that, on Wednesday night, I'll be playing Skidball with the guys from work in the freezing cold...followed by food! It's good to know that, after the dust settles on dinner, I'll sit down Thursday night and watch The American President for the millionth time. I'm thankful that I know better than to go shopping on Friday.

On the other hand, I'm thankful that things change. Last year at this time, a lot of my relatives traveled hundreds of miles to visit us for Thanksgiving. Next year at this time, I'll be on the other side of the country getting ready for my first Thanksgiving alone. A comfortable routine is one thing, but overcoming fear of the unknown for its own sake has its merits.

I'm thankful that there are many, many people out there who can write. Everyone should have a comprehensive command of the English language, but many don't. Those who do, and do so regularly, inspire me to write like there's no tomorrow. I guess I get to be thankful for the internet, too. Fifteen years ago, who would've thought that we'd be able to have real-time discussions with people in London and Los Angeles simultaneously, all for the low, low price of a local phone call? Now we can relay information within seconds to friends across the country and the world. (All things we take for granted most of the time, right?)

I was going somewhere with this, but rather than get lost looking for it, I'll just say that I have a lot to be thankful for and I don't appreciate it enough. Be thankful for what you have. And be thankful that things will be back to semi-normal next week. No surveys, no lists. That is my promise to you. Save me a turkey leg.