I'm not one to give thanks on a daily basis, but I've been thinking about my life in the United States and what I/we have to be thankful for. It's easy to be a citizen of the United States and feel confident that we have it better than the majority of the world when it comes to food, shelter, clothing, medical care... Well, I do anyway.
Right now we are as a nation dealing with the implementation of Obamacare, as it's called, health care for well, everyone. It's not working out too well so far. Poor people are signing up to get the benefits that they have gone without, rich people are angry at higher rates, youth are skipping it because they can't afford it and are mostly healthy and would rather pay the IRS fine for going without. It's government supplemental medical care for many, and the loss of insurance plans and doctors one trusts for some others. And the illegal immigrants are going to get free medical care anyway in California so, that's got a lot of anti illegal immigration people crazy mad.
I'm thankful I'm not dealing with these choices, this transition, while sick!
As for shelter, my place is drafty and too expensive to keep warm with a single gas wall heater which costs about $20 a day just to kill the dampness, but I do wear sweaters and sometimes knit hats indoors. (Even my dog wears sweaters and gets under the covers.) We are thankful for the roof over our heads at a time when the average one bedroom apartment in our city goes for $1000 a month and we see so many families living in RV's, Vans, and Cars, parked in the lots of 24 hour Ralphs grocery or a big box store that has lights on at night, and thankful that six months out of the year the place is just fine without heat, and that we didn't stick like glue to the sheets in the summer when we had temperatures that convince you of Global Warming and Earth Changes, even when tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, tsunami, and storms should be enough. We are thankful we don't live in the Philippines where they are still finding bodies in the rubble.
As for clothing (and whatnot), I was fortunate enough to put a lot of things I no longer wanted out on the sidewalk with a sign that said "FREE STUFF" rather than have a yard sale last week. The dog and I went for our 40 minute walk around the block and by the time we came back IT WAS ALL GONE. I was fortunate enough to take a bag of Christmas decorations I don't need to a senior center and fortunate enough to take a bag of children's toys to the Police Department, where they will be wrapped and distributed to kids whose parents can't afford gifts for them. I have spare so I must have plenty.
As for food, guess who needs to loose ten pounds?
I'm thankful that I have so very many choices about what I eat, that I can go to a Farmer's Market that features free range chicken eggs and Organics, to Trader Joes, where I buy cheeses and their canned Turkey Chili, which I have a hankering for. I'm making Apple Crumble with fresh apples and brown sugar for my Thanksgiving meal contribution. My dog recently indulged in Paul Newman's Organic Chicken dog food. Some people don't eat as well as my dog.
And you?
