PLANET’S WISH FOR THIS DAY AND THIS LIFE: AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27, 2013) — Today is the anniversary of a happy event that led to a sad one on the most personal and grievous of levels. Nonetheless, on the day before Thanksgiving, THE PLANET mentally, emotionally, and spiritually recalibrates, if for nothing than on behalf of Dan Valenti and his family, friends, and loved ones, so that they may be cognizant of the beautiful and not the sad — though that being said, what would life as we know it be without the inharmonious mixture of these two friend catalysts?
Thus, today we leave the world of politics and temporal events. You won’t find a peep about taxes or schools. Instead, our message is one of gratitude. To be grateful is perhaps the healthiest and greatest of human attitudes in facing life. However much money we accumulate, or fame, or friends, in the end, we face it alone, from the inside looking out. You may be married to someone for 70 years, and you will never know what it’s like to be that person. Left unawares, this position could easily degenerate into a Great Silence or Solitude, and then what? We shudder to contemplate.
It’s gratitude, in the end, that saves us.
To be grateful means to be aware of the events of your life: those you produce and do, those that are produced and done to you. In them, gratitude finds the opportunities for growth, for living, for loving. We could not more conceive of loving without there first being a grateful heart than we could of following shadows without the sunshine.
And so that shall be our thought for today, and tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day: One of thanks and thanksgiving for all of the people, places, and things that have made up and make up our life. That includes all the readers of this website, who have made THE PLANET such an interesting and rewarding daily adventure.
Happy thanksgiving to all, and God prosper you.
THE PLANET shall be taking Thursday and Friday off. We reform back here on Monday, Dec. 2.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Very nicely written, and felt. Gratitude is, in my opinion, the easiest path to happiness and well-being. Not a path of denying the things that are crappy, but keeping balance by always remembering the amazing miracles and blessings that we are so privileged to receive. All. The. Time.
I agree Jerry and good post Dan I wish the best for all!!! Live in the moment as much as you can!
Don’t carve the turkey before Uncle Gabriel Krichinski arrives! (Homage to the movie Avalon).
Very well said Dan. Just curious Dan are you a sagittarius? I think you are either that or an aquarius. Yes, I will admit that astrology is a hobby of mine. Please let us know. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Thank you Dan for your site and insite. Hope you have a fantastic turkey day, god bless.,
Best wishes to all this Thanksgiving day, to the Planet and all the readers and commenters, we sometimes agree and sometimes we don’t but what I enjoy most about this web site is that people are pretty respectful, thank you and God bless all
RIV
Thank you and all who sent along their best wishes.
Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for the column. It’s nicely written as usual and appropriate for the day. Let me add that we all need to be graeful that you are still in the business of provoking, spurring and otherwise engaging everyone on the issues of the day.
I agree…thanks Dan. We don’t even seem to be slowing them down but at least you are exposing them for all to see.
Thanks, DUSTY.
CHUCK
We appreciate your kind attentions. The role of provocateur is one of the most important in a democracy, especially when democracy finds itself down to the dying embers. The winds of engagement at least have a chance to fan the embers into flame again.
Just remember when you think you are doing bad, there is always always somebody out there who is doing much worse.
Check out the Eagle today, it says Dalton Police Chief relieved of duties, uh.. Ok?
Probably did not know how to spell Hinsdale so figured close enough if they picked a town with at least four of the letters
They corrected it, must read the Planet!