Thursday, February 23, 2012
Featured guests:
Wayne Levine (BetterMenCoaching.com) for “The Men’s Room”
Special Guest, Jodi Okun with a college discussion.
This show is loosely based on this week’s “A Dad’s Point-of-View” column, Revisiting Gratitude.
Nearly seven years ago, I fell asleep at the wheel of my truck. The resulting accident – with the cruise control set at 72 mph – should have killed me, or worse. I walked away with nary a meaningful scratch as did my dog, who was thrown from the vehicle when we veered off the highway. As I drive that same route regularly, a recent visit to the crash site made me reflect on how lucky I was then and how lucky I am now.
I love Thanksgiving. It has everything a great holiday should have. Food food and more FOOD! Thanksgiving, of course, gives us all the opportunity to gather with friends and family to actually reflect on the bounty of our lives. Gratitude is truly one of the most important ingredients for happiness and Thanksgiving offers just the forum to express those feelings.
Occasionally I enjoy doing list columns and my mind has been a bit more focused on doing lists ever since I became a contributing writer at 12Most.com. So, herewith is my list of ten things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Please add any that you believe belong in the comments section below!
Radio Show – Thanksgiving Special
First air date: Thursday, November 25, 2010
Featured guests:
Pastor Drew Sams (Calvary Church, Westlake Village, CA) for “Teen Rap”
The column referenced is, “What Does Thanksgiving Mean to You?” and the discussion is about Thanksgiving, with quotes from readers, the Bible, famous and less famous people.
Have you thought about what does Thanksgiving mean to you? I love Thanksgiving because it’s a holiday that transcends all religions, all cultures, and all ethnicities. It’s about the basic notion of “giving thanks” and it’s really become a holiday that everyone loves.
First, there’s the food. Second, there’s the food. Did I mention the food? How about the turkey? The yams? The stuffing? And, my favorite: pumpkin pie. Ahhhh. Need I say more?
I believe that gratitude is the major ingredient to happiness, and I learned this from Dennis Prager, the talk-show host, columnist, and author. So, on this Thanksgiving, I’m going to share with you just a few of the many things that I’m grateful for, and some that I’ve solicited from my readers, Facebook and Twitter friends, and Radio Show listeners. Finally, I will share quotes from those famous and not so famous, that I found on the Internet.
Update: The deadline has passed. Please do not send in your thanks any more and “thanks” to those that did.
I will be writing a special Thanksgiving column, to be publishing Thanksgiving week and I will be pre-recording a special “A Dad’s Point-of-View” Radio Show, with Pastor Drew Sams this coming Thursday, November 11. I want to include as many of YOUR “thanks” as I receive so send me your thanksgiving thanks soon.
PLEASE send me an e-mail with a short description of what you are thankful for whether you live in the United States or not, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.
Listen Now
“I HATE it,” or “I HATE my teacher,” or “I HATE that restaurant.” Sound familiar. When my younger son uses that word or is complaining or whining as much as he and his older brother do, I find myself going nuts on them. “You HATE” such and such? There are things to hate in this world, like terrorists, rapists, serial murderers, taxes, Britney Spears and Renee Zellweger, but an item of food, a less than terrific teacher?
This falls under the category of spoiled rotten. I must’ve done something to encourage this behavior and my new wife always gives me “the look” when they act that way; the look that says, “well, where do you think they got it from?” I then give her the look that says, “bug off,” and we go on to a fight from there. Okay, just kidding. Sort of.
It’s high time I wrote a column that stirs some reaction, creates some controversy, and isn’t so sweet and nice. No gratitude for surviving what should have been a deadly car crash, no treatises on the values of volunteering, or even about the importance of spending more quantity time with your kids. After all, this is a man’s point-of-view, not some touchy-feely new age guru. Look at the magazine rack at your local bookstore. The women’s section is literally full, while the men’s section mostly consists of magazines about cars, motorcycles, or supermen who climb ridiculously high mountains without oxygen. We won’t even talk about daytime television where Oprah and Ellen dominate. I don’t count Dr. Phil, for obvious reasons.
So, what is it that is so different and might rankle some of my by now loyal readers and fans (I can dream, can’t I)? It’s simply the notion that sometimes it’s necessary to be a selfish parent and think of yourself. This applies, in my opinion and observance, most especially to stressed single moms whose ex’s participate little or not at all, much as my situation was till I was blessed to meet ShortRib (my nickname for my wife) and re-marry. Frankly, either due to the fact I am a man or maybe an inherent selfish slug, I never suffered from this problem. I managed to find time for myself and the needs of the boys.
