Giving Thanks

Every so often I meet someone who makes me wonder, just for a few minutes, about roads I did not take. This happened on Tuesday when I met a friend of a work colleague. He happened to be a photojournalist, no more than a few years older or younger than me. His portfolio contained photographs from an orphanage in Eastern Europe, hypersaturated snapshots from the subways of Tokyo, and images from small towns and big cities all across New England. It was clear that his most trusted travel companion was his camera (a Canon 5D Mk II, a model firmly planted in my "want" list), and that he would go anywhere, anytime for a story. It even seemed that some moments came to him, gift wrapped for a photograph.

We gabbed about where he had been, what he had photographed, the people he had met. He said he didn't really have a place that he called home; he was continually on the move, and hadn't lived in one place for more than a year in...about 5 or 6 years. Then my work colleague answered the question I had been wondering. Sweeping her hands from me to him, she said "And he's able to do this because...Burt, three kids. John, no kids."

Aha, there it was. A life so free because it was unencumbered by dependents. (Or perhaps the other way around.) For a few moments, I considered the merits of such a life...no diapers, no lunches to make, no routines. A pure focus on me, all my interests, all the time. And to be shooting, to boot! It sounded blissful. (And any parent who says that he or she has not periodically indulged in this type of reverie is either Mother Teresa or a total liar.)

But it's not the life I chose. And a couple hours later, I was back at home blowing noses, refereeing arguments, and changing diapers. I was happy about it, too.

Today is Thanksgiving. It is a day that we give thanks for all that we have, and acknowledge the many blessings bestowed on us. Health, family, security are always at the top of my list; everything else lay far below these big three. Even camera gear.

And when I look around at all that I am thankful for, I think about how my current lot is the result of a series of choices that I made months, years ago. Where I went to college, the job I took afterwards, my decision to move back north--they all set the wheels of my present in motion. It is sheer good fortune that I find myself surrounded by Natalia, Andres, Celia, and now Lucia. I love them more than anything. And while the paths not taken do stir the occasional wanderlust in my mind, the faces awaiting me at home (especially the calls of "Daddy!!" upon entering the door) easily dispatch those feelings. I live a charmed life.

So today, in addition to health, family, and security, I am also thankful for the path my life has taken, given the infinite possibilities available. Every choice represents many roads untraveled. I am thankful that the journey I did choose has led me to the ones I love most.

This picture makes me smile every time I see it.

True love is sharing your favorite blankie with your brother.