Guest Blog Post: I’ve Got a Lot to be Thankful For

Posted November 23, 2015

Spreading thanks at The Village of Bedford Walk

During Thanksgiving at The Village of Bedford Walk, we invite members of our retirement community to share with us what they are thankful for. We find great joy in hearing the stories of happiness among our residents and we strive to be active in maintaining that spirit,. To do so, we provide our residents with opportunities to continue enjoying the things near and dear to their hearts whether that be time with family and friends, relaxation, good health and more.

Dr. Porter, an esteemed member of the Columbia, Missouri community, a longtime academic with the University of Missouri and a member of The Village of Bedford Walk Steering Committee shared with us the many things he had to be thankful for this Thanksgiving time.

I’ve Got a Lot to be Thankful For – guest blog by Michael J. Porter

I’m thankful for

My health. At 69, I require no daily medicine. I’m not saying I’m fit, but I am blessed with good health. I won’t even complain about the arthritis creeping into my fingers – that, I figure, comes with the territory.
Time. Time to read. Time for an afternoon catnap if I want. Time for a walk, time for a bike ride. Time to putter in the yard, pull weeds, micro-landscape. Time to write my memories. Time for the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. I won’t complain, I realize that I don’t ever really have enough time to get everything done that I had hoped to do in any given day. Such is life. I’ve learned to live with it – some projects can be put off until tomorrow.
A caring wife of 43 years who continues to love me despite my many flaws and warts. She is the best sous-chef in Columbia, and assumes the clean up chores after I’ve trashed the kitchen in preparation of a seemingly simple meal for just the two of us. I cook with gusto — a flurry of last-minute chopping and flipping and stirring required for the new creation. I become a whirling dervish. In other words, I’m a messy chef who relies on someone like Rose to clean up behind me. And she does it without complaint.
My two sons who are successful in their careers and have grown to become contributing members of their communities. They are both caring and loving fathers and married to strong women who are excellent mothers to our most adorable grandchildren. I won’t even complain that they don’t leave nearby; that wouldn’t do any good, anyway; (one lives in Seattle, the other in England, down in Cornwall).
Friends and family who seem to appreciate my off-beat sense of humor, listen to my diatribes, and let me be me. We share a history together and they love me as I am, as I have learned to love them as they are.
Our “nature preserve-esque” back yard that shelter the birds and squirrels whose tweets and squawks wake us in the morning and provide a natural sound track every day.
Our screened-in porch that serves as our private tree house; a perfect place for those afternoon naps and book reading activities.
The four seasons of Columbia. I can’t imagine not being able to experience our warm summers, cool and sometimes white winters, the spring of renewal and new birth, and the colorful autumns of the fall. I would miss them all were I ever to move to a climate that didn’t realize it takes four seasons to make up a year.
And last, but not least, I’m thankful for dark chocolate, pumpkin bread, carrot cake, and a good loaf of French bread.

Please share your list of “this is what I’m thankful for” freely. There is no better time to reflect and be grateful for the life you are given.