"If you ain't grateful for today, what day you waitin' on?"

That quote is from Aaron, made during an Alcohol's Anonymous meeting. I was "allowed" to attend AA meetings, roughly one a week, for a few months, following my DUI in December. I'm done with them now, but I still remember that quote. If there's a group of people that are able to look on the bright side of what life has dealt them, it's the recovering alcoholics. At least the ones that attend meetings regularly and stay sober.

I was reminded of that quote today. I was talking with Kristi, a coworker. Kristi says she "gets" me. She's a wife and mother, and has way more responsibility in her life than I have in mine. I was talking about how I was having a good time playing soccer and poker, and she said something to the effect that I really get a lot out of life. It was said with a tone of admiration, not jealousy or upbraiding.

And to think I was recently feeling sorry for myself. I lost my job on December 17, as a direct result of that DUI. (And I deserved what I got.) That date is coming around soon enough, and I was feeling like I was serving a year sentence in purgatory. Doing what was required by the state and DMV, but not actually getting anywhere.

I had given a big "Bah Humbug" to Thanksgiving, because I spent the day hundreds of miles away from my family, and had to work Thanksgiving evening. It was not a pleasant experience. But that comment turned me introspective, and I realized that I have a lot to be thankful for. My family, although distant in the physical sense, is close to me emotionally. I have enough free time to pursue activities I really enjoy on a more than weekly basis. Maybe I don't love my job or my position in life at the moment, but that will change. And I've got a lot going for me besides that.