Friday, October 18, 2024

Thanksgiving & thanksgetting

THEM APPLES:
When it comes to questions
 Michelle sure
knows how to pick’em. 
Wednesday morning two weeks ago, after I arrived at my office, Michelle Huang--one of the most important people in our company (I'm talking 35,000 people around the world)--asked, "How are you, Peter?" 

Poor Michelle. 

She is such a good sport. She probably didn't deserve my answer. And odds are good she was hoping for a "fine thanks how about you?"

What she got instead was firehosed, with an impromptu litany of all the elements that had to work seamlessly to get me from my bed to my office. 

Like the lights working in our bathroom back home. And the plumbing.

The fridge.

The toaster. 

The garage door opener.

The ignition on my motorcycle. And the clutch cable. Have you ever considered how many times the clutch cable on a motorcycle gets used? And it just keeps clutching and unclutching. 

So many things must mesh to make Peter's world work.

Michelle, who is very patient, put up with the following: "Between my house and here, there's hundreds if not thousands of traffic signals; the roads are all paved; and the other drivers all drive vehicles that are working, safely. I'm even amazed at the elevator that took me all the way to the ninth floor just now." 

Like I said. Poor Michelle. Everybody at our office is crazy about Michelle. I'm thankful I get to work with her.

Yesterday my wife Helena and I had an online appointment with a financial adviser at the TD Bank. 

His name's Mario and he's been helping us for, like, 20 years. I call him Super Mario.

Yesterday, before we started talking business, I wasted probably a dozen of Super Mario's minutes expressing my pleasure, surprise, glee and sheer astonishment that:

A: We have money;
B: We have a financial adviser:
C: We could meet with him from the comfort of my liviing room, which would not have been possible five years ago. And if you want to hear Super Mario laugh, tell him, as I did "I bet you didn't realize I'm not wearing any pants."

On Monday, we had some friends over for Thanksgiving and I read the following, citing each guest by name. 

God is great and God is good;
Let us thank him for our food:

God is great; He's not too shabby;
So thank you God for our friend Gabby.

Speaking of, thank you for Mick
Mateus, too, who's growing quick.

Listen God, don't think you owe me
 God, damn it's cool you sent Naomi.

Thanks for Frank, who came from Chad
And thanks for Gayle who's always glad.

Your tallest angel's also here:
I'm talking Doug, I think that's clear.

And Helena...you've met the missus:
She showers me with love and kisses

So thanks for her a lot, I say,
She's stuck it out both night and day.

Thanks for all the joy and luck:
Because without friends, this life would suck.

God is great and God is big;
It's dinner time so in we dig.

Amen.

I've been told sometimes people get tired of my positivity. My mom would say those people are just jealous.

Oh. Thanks for reading.



9 comments:

  1. Thanks for Peter and thanks for you aligning/being a cheerleader for us all to keep naming the positive that keeps us all positive ๐ŸคŸ๐Ÿผ

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for that. I guess I should have tried out for cheerleading in high school, though that might have entailed, like, you know, hard work, rehearsals and drills, things I'm grateful to have avoided thus far in life. Have a pleasant Friday.

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  2. Love this๐Ÿ’•

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  3. Phatics always was one of your phailings, Peter.

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    1. Wow. Whoever you are, you sure talk pretty. That's one of the kindest thing people have ever told me. Thank you! Emphatically!

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  4. Gratitude to me is one of the keys to life. I am grateful we were able to connect again!

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    1. Me too Cary. Thanks. Now you just keep on making the worlds of everybody who meets you that much better. Cuz I think that's a thing you do. Have a lovey Friday.

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  5. You make me smile! Great way to look at a day to boot! Margie Wickie Raskevicius

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