Thanks on Thanksgiving

Getting ready to leave. Sleepy. As usual. Spent Thanksgiving at Mama's. She didn't cook. Just some sweet potato pies. Needless to say, the diet went out the window. I have no defenses against Mama's sweet potato pies.

She went to have Thanksgiving dinner with her sister Sherry's family. I stayed at Mama's apartment. I was invited, of course. But Thanksgiving is about family, and I'm not a part of that family. Besides, I found myself with unexpected downtime. When you make your living from being constantly on the move, getting to sit still is a treat.

Mama brought me a plate of food. She probably didn't realize it, but that's a tradition unto itself. For so much of my life, Thanksgiving dinner for me was a turkey and dressing plate from my aunt Loretta's restaurant.

Ah, well. Another year. Another Thanksgiving. I guess if I had to come up with a list of things I'm thankful for, it'd be a short, but heartfelt, list.

I'm thankful for Mama. She's worked so hard her entire life to try to make my life comfortable and happy. She's quite a lady and I'm very fortunate to have her still, and in relatively good health.

While this may seem misplaced, I'm thankful for the eight years I was married to Mara. She may not love me anymore and has moved on with her life, but I wouldn't trade our time together for anything.

I'm thankful that I am beginning to work solid again. I was in a dark place for a long time and I desperately needed to feel like I'm making a little progress.

And I'm thankful for the new truck. It's done wonders for my outlook, in so many different ways. It's made driving fun again. It has a strong engine and a god-awfully loud engine brake. Most importantly, it doesn't smell of previous drivers. It's clean and feels like it's all mine. My space. I named her Rayne.

I'm thankful for those friends who stuck around in spite of my best efforts to chase them away. I've been a self-pitying brat the past several months.

I guess that's about it. Well, without getting carried away.

Oh, and I'm thankful for Scarlett Johansson.