What are you thankful for and what do they require of you?

[Alaric593]

I am thankful for my family, the motor vehicle and my profession that provides more than I deserve.

My thankfulness for my family which brings me joy beyond words, requires of me to provide for their physical and emotional needs and to teach them to provide for their own physical and emotional needs. I am required to make myself obsolete to my children and irreplaceable to my wife.

My thankfulness for the motor vehicle which allows for travel to destinations in less than 24 hours what 150 years ago would have taken weeks to a month so my children can experience the splendid wonder of the American landscape, requires of me diligence in caring for its function.

My thankfulness for my profession which provides more than I deserve insofar as since learning about my Aspergers, my leadership has gone so far beyond what I could have ever expected.

Last year they gave me a month off paid without having to use FLMA in case the situation worsened and I needed it to protect my position after a string of serious family problems caused so much stress in me that it shut down my executive function like I've never dealt with before.

Further, I've been on paternity leave for four months which is something I never knew I wanted until it was offered. I return to work Friday.

This requires of me due diligence in my work product to ensure my errors are fewer and do not cost the company unnecessary expense in having to amend or revive the patents and trademarks for which I have responsibilities.

 

[Misery]

Well, I'm thankful for family, dogs, those incredibly few friends I have, uh...

What else... I mean my car is nice I guess... this PC? Eh, that one's a pure love/hate thing. Free time? Well I got lots of that, so... that's nice. My other stuff, I guess?

As for requirements, well, the dogs sure require me. I'd do anything for them.

And this blasted machine needs non-stop tweaks.

....I mean I dunno, that's about it as requirements go, I'm not really required for all that much.

 

[Alaric593]

Well, I'm thankful for family, dogs, those incredibly few friends I have, uh...

What else... I mean my car is nice I guess... this PC? Eh, that one's a pure love/hate thing. Free time? Well I got lots of that, so... that's nice. My other stuff, I guess?

As for requirements, well, the dogs sure require me. I'd do anything for them.

And this blasted machine needs non-stop tweaks.

....I mean I dunno, that's about it as requirements go, I'm not really required for all that much.

We're all have required more of us than we tend to realize or understand. I wish I could have a dog again but my wife has an autoimmune disease that her allergy to dog makes it too dangerous for her.

 

[Alaric593]

I'm thankful for not living in Oslo anymore, that I got away from it. That doesn't sound like much to be thankful for, but I was stuck there for years and that city has turned into a dump. My life would be so much worse if I lived there now. It's unreal how badly it went downhill.

A terrible environment, especially with what we have, can create unbelievable havoc. If my study isn't clean, I can't function and it just grows in intensity as the environment grows.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I am thankful for having a loving spouse and the family I choose, my friends. I am thankful for the understanding I have of the natural world and the ability to make the most of the cultures I have had the good fortune to visit. I am thankful for being what I am.

(Added) What is expected? To support my friends and family. To use my experience, knowledge and skills to support my community. To communicate with students a delight in the natural world. And, not least to be there for my wife to return the love she showed me and changed the trajectory of my life, and not complain about her honey-do list.

 

[Thinx]

I am thankful for my partner, and that we fit together so well, partly by being very different and partly by being funny and weird in somewhat similar ways.

Also for our cat, and for the big brother cats and my first little cat, and my partner's dogs, that are all gone now but still much loved and remembered always.

Also for a few special people I or we care about.

I am thankful for the excellent skills of the health care professionals I have been helped by with my recent health issues. I shall be even more thankful in a couple of months time when my course of treatment ends!

I'm thankful for our garden and allotment, wow I love to see and work on both. And for my lifetime of pretty good health, that's helping me be robust now, too.

I hope I can be there for my partner and for others I care about, in any ongoing ways that I can. I hope I can be funny and brave and silly and kind in the ways they expect and like from me, and maybe a bit more help practically, sometimes where that would be useful.

I hope I can get back to work soon on a project I am interested in. Probably could start doing a bit more on it soon. I could plan for that.

 

[Sunny1]

I'm thankful for the path that God has put me on and the people I have met along the way. I am thankful for the beauty that I can always find around me and the beautiful areas I have been privileged to live in. I am thankful for finding my ASD diagnosis and the clarity that has given me in why I struggle with some aspects of my life. It sort of made my life fall into place like a Tetris game. I am thankful for what I have gone through in my life and that I have been blessed with optimism (except when my meds are off and I go into depression). I am thankful for what I learn every day and that I am open to learning new things. I am thankful for being able to see other countries and being able to talk to others there and learn about their lives. I am thankful for my career which still excites me every day. I am thankful for my cameras because my photographs are not only beautiful to me, but they bring back memories that I fear I would have forgotten. I am thankful for finding this forum of good, friendly people. Thanks, everyone. As for what it required of me, I think that would be appreciation---both for the people, the views, and for what people are dealing with in this world.