And my axe!  Sorry.  That was uncalled for.  I’m going to take a moment to be serious and sappy, so please see Coyote’s column on Thanksgiving if you’d prefer to laugh today. 

It’s easy to feel bogged down by life sometimes. I mean, though many of us probably live pretty blessed or fortunate existences, that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when the entire world feels stacked against us.  Many of us have everything we could ever need or want, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have worries, pressures, stresses, and clouds hanging over our heads.  It’s when times like these pop into my life that I’m thankful for this site, for this hobby, and for all of you.

Honestly, I cannot complain one minute about anything in my life right now.  I may like less student loans (who wouldn’t?), and an easier commute, but I’ll be damned if my world isn’t running on pretty much perfection right now.  I could be the type of person who then takes all this good fortune and says, “When is it going to happen?  When is the bottom going to drop out?”  But I’d prefer to take a different approach.

I’m going to be thankful.

I’m thankful for my career.  I’m thankful for my friends.  I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head, a family that’s supportive, and a wife I love with every bit of my heart and soul.  I’m thankful that in a world where so much bad happens all the time, my own tiny spec of existence seems to be coming up roses.  I don’t forget for a moment just how lucky I am.

And so this holiday season, whether you celebrate the Tide of Yule or not, and whether your Thanksgiving is back on Columbus Day or not (yes, I’m looking at you Canadians)… stop for a moment and take time to appreciate the good things about your life.  Stop and take a second to realize how fortunate you must be to come here to MMORPG.com and spend sometimes hours of your day talking about games and bickering about what’s good and what’s bad.

Just take one moment today, between the turkey gobbling and the beer swilling, and stop to remember just how damned good we have it to be gamers and live this life. Even with all its probable faults and imperfections, the lives we lead could always be worse.