Thanksgiving thanks

EDITORIAL

Thanksgiving thanks

With all the seemingly intractable problems and issues to address in the world, we at Community Media wanted to step back for one week and take stock in our lives during this holiday season. To that end, we asked our staff of editors, advertising reps and designers what they were grateful for this Thanksgiving. Here is what they said:

• I’m thankful that a woman and a black man are at the top of the race for U.S. president, that glass ceilings seem to be cracking everywhere, that being in the closet is now considered to be ridiculous in most places in the civilized world, and that we’re succeeding in publishing great newspapers despite the economy and changes in our industry.

• I am extremely thankful for 01/20/09. I’d be more thankful if Al Gore got in the race. I’m thankful that each week we’re covering great stories from A (anarchist cyclists) to Z (zoning). I’m thankful for Film Forum, the IFC Center and Landmark and all their great flicks.

• I am extremely thankful that my sister is still cancer-free and my mom is in good health.

• I am thankful for so many things, but my grandchildren lead the list.

• I’m thankful for poetry, opportunities to give, my father, wine, Roquefort cheese, Sam Cooke, mittens, documentaries, the Heartless Bastards, my breasts, volunteer work, acupuncture, dates that end with kisses and snow, good credit, Harvey Shapiro, Sunday mornings, fog, smooth takeoffs, birth control, new used books, possibility with strangers on the sidewalk, taxidermy, my roommate’s Chihuahua, bendy straws, liquid soap, that I never have to be 13 years old again, listening to Julius [Community Media ad rep] on the phone say, “This is an award-winning publication.”

• I am grateful that after a long, suspenseful apartment hunt, I finally found a place to live which is larger than a shoebox, has a window and is moderately affordable. That is truly a New York City Thanksgiving miracle!

• I’m thankful for my daughter, for my loving wife, our great careers and our continued health — and for the Red Sox winning the World Series.

• I recently suffered an illness requiring an excruciating 12-hour emergency room visit. My husband held my hand throughout, distracted me with jokes and a book of short stories, and hunted down absent doctors. So when I think of what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving, he is the first thing that comes to mind.

• I’m most thankful to have found someone to share my life with and hopefully raise a family with.

• I’m thankful for everyone who believed in my writing, and for the many Village/Downtown folks whose stories keep me spinning.

• I’m thankful for the current and continuing health of my two children, my wife and myself. As long as you have health, which is the only part of life that is utterly out of a person’s control, everything else is gravy and roast turkey.