Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! This is what a Vegan spread looks like!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and so today I'm writing about a few ideas related to this great day:

• Helping the poor/hungry
• Keeping things in perspective 
• Things I am thankful for (inspired by my friend Michaela who posted the question on Twitter)

It's been a year since the Run To Feed The Hungry, and this year sadly will be the first in 3 that I won't make it. The run feeds homeless and hungry people in the greater Sacramento area, and the running community in Sacramento always makes this a very successful day even in rough economic times. In a similar vein since about spring I've done a bit of outreach myself. What my wife did is put together a bunch of energy bars, snacks, etc from various races into a box which I carry around in my truck. When I see people stopped at lights asking for food or perhaps run into one during my travels, I offer them food instead of money. I'm sure you have a cache of stuff as well! Powerbars that are sitting there unused, random gels that maybe you don't like and won't eat, etc. All judgments about chemical dependencies etc, it's nice to share food. We all need it.

Even though I can't run, I am slowly feeling my strength return to my quads, maybe it's psychosomatic who knows. I am trying to keep things in perspective and be thankful not just because of this holiday, but because it helps me deal with life to see the glass as half full. We runners view things differently, how many times have we heard someone say "oh I HATE running" or "you couldn't pay me to do that!" well, it's all about keeping things in perspective. We view running and staying healthy one way, as a way of living life and celebrating life. Other people view it as painful, and don't see the reward. They see the hurt, but not the smiles, they smell the sweat, but don't feel the endorphins, they see the blood but not the heart. I mourn for those that can't see things the way we see them, but what can you do? I try and lead by example, and that's all I can do really.

So, what am I thankful for? I'm grateful for being healthy, for remembering how it feels to put down some miles, for looking forward to running in 2011. I'm thankful for my family who is there for me, for being employed in a tough economy, for having a job I actually enjoy, for having friends that are there for me and the means of meeting new people that share common interests. (That's you!) I'm thankful for my faith, for my children, and for my wife. Get stoked people, there's a lot of reasons to do so. Thank you for reading!