Some of the things for which I am grateful, in no particular order:
Dogs. When people disappoint, frustrate, anger, irritate, bother, obstruct, confuse, cheat, beat, deceive, manipulate, insult or judge you, a dog will greet you as though you are a miracle and other than a bowl of food or a walk the only thing it will ask for is your company.
Cats. They are aloof and unconcerned with our needs. Call them and they stare at you blankly. Push them away and they force themselves on you. They do what they want when they want. They are a four-legged and furry embodiment of the universe in that they remind us that we have no power or control even though we kid ourselves into believing we do.
Cops (the good ones obviously). As nervous as they make me—with their guns and near absolute authority over one and all— it is undeniable they have a difficult job. They deal with the rat finks and scary people so I do not have to.
Chance. When freelance writer Bianca Quilantan pitched her story this week and sent pictures of families clutching each other for three minutes through a temporarily opened U.S.-Mexico border door, it came just in time for the start of the holiday season—and reminded me of how fortunate I am to have my family so close that I am afforded the luxury of taking them for granted.
The Xolos. I am a futbol fan. I love the game and I have my preferred teams. But the club from Tijuana has a special place in my heart because it is the closest thing this county has to a top-level professional futbol club. And while they have struggled in past seasons, this year they are in the Liga MX playoffs. I can’t think of the last time San Diego’s other pro teams could make that claim.
Political social media. OK, there is begrudging gratitude here. Most electeds use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to promote themselves, their projects and their careers. Few offer glimpses into who they are as people. But occasionally you come across those who put themselves out there. From Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’ goofy selfies with her boyfriend, the former Republican turned Independent turned Democratic San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher to newly elected Otay Water District board member Hector Gastelum’s posts on immigration, for example: “In order 4 DJT #Immigration plan 2 work he’ll need diversification: #BuildTheWall #deportillegals #TurnOffMagnets” voters, constituents and residents can get a brief glimpse of who these publicly funded policymakers are.
Eyelids and earplugs. When the cacophony of life, family, friends, politics, work, the world and chaos get to be a little too much it’s nice to be able to shut your eyes, plug your ears and dream of a world the way you would like it to be.
