GRATITUDE

i'm thankful for all i have,
even if i almost never enjoy any of it.
that's the blessing and the curse of warrior poetry:
enough is never enough,
and seeming satisfied is too damned close to cultivating contentment,
which in turn breeds uncomplimentary complacency.
no way.
instead,
i appreciate the efforts i'm able to continuously make-
yeah.
that's the thing of it, neighbors....
i'm grateful for the time i have been given-
that's time to work hard,
and then, work even harder,
while enduring the ordure and offal of an awful set of circumstances,
in order to improve upon,
and ultimately evolve beyond
the hard styles and hindrances of limitless ambition
with limited success....
holy sh!t.
that's almost depressing,
except,
considering how much i labor at not letting the lack of outstanding results
overwhelm an outstanding effort every day,
which, all things considered is either crazily optimistic about a better tomorrow,
or optimistically crazy regarding delusions of potential improvement.
yikes!
(either one is okay with me,)
-
moreover,
i genuinely invest my time in the (very few) people
who want to be included in the frantic fraught ferocious Folk Life
i'm carving out for myself in this woodsly goodness.
and two of those virtuous valkyries are here right now.
yup.
harvest and maple and i are all together,
and that's the best part of any day, really.
on the real-
thanksgiving begins with thanks,
and is immediately followed by giving.
i mean, c'mon, man-
gratitude and generosity
are two of the primary components of my whole world view.
and these kids?
they're the best part of every holiday, every time.
if ever i needed another reason to do MORE,
(which i never have, to be honest,
rules is rules, and that's reason enough)
instilling the level-eleven intensity of my universal philosophy
to their easier-going kind hearts and joyful spirits would be it.
uh-huh.
check 'em out:

word.
we've been ruining pictures together for sixteen years in a row.
and we're not about to stop now.

no way.
in fact,
we're going to do it MORE.
jeez. are you picking up on what's happening here?
yeah.
too much is the right amount,
and we sure as sh!t aren't gonna settle for anything less.
-
i'm grateful that i have a job that affords me the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress,
as well as every single social interaction in between dog walks.
i'm grateful for the dog i'm walking,
as crabtree is truly my only remaining up-here friend,
even if that is only because he has no choice.
i'm grateful for the skills i've developed over these long cold lonely years-
plenty of people work way harder, for way longer,
to still somehow suck a lot at just one thing they've dedicated their attention to;
whereas i've truly been gifted with a kaleidoscopic breadth of interests,
and the wherewithal to nurture them.
that's huge.
i'm grateful fot the time, and for the space,
than i span with the ones who matter most.
the truth is,
it's all really happening, good and bad, easy and tough,
and it's all worth every elation and devastation.
that's the whole point.
THIS is What Is:

and that's all there really ever has been;
there's a secret universal plan in place, playing out in piecemeal portions,
unfolding along the creases and seams of seemingly random circumstances.
it's not predestiny so much as predisposition.
free will, and luck,
are pushing and pulling on opposing ends of that infinite expanse.
we're saying thanks for all of that,
and now we're getting right back to work;
never quiet, never soft.....