It's a chilly 78 degrees Fahrenheit here in Nassau on this Christmas Eve day, 2006. It's a time to reflect and be thankful for all the good things that have happened to us throughout the year.


I had a friend in college who would read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol from cover to cover (it's not that long of a story) each Christmas Eve, just to remind himself that he had a lot to be thankful for.


I've determined that it's just too damn easy to remember all the bad things. Some of life's misfortunes can make a serious dent on your mental well-being, and continue to plague your brain for a long time afterwards.


Like mosquitoes on a breezeless August night on Andros, these memories can pester you unmercifully.


Been there, done that.


So, since Christmas is about renewal and thankfulness, I think it's only proper for me to list some of what I'm thankful for (since this is my blog, and I make the rules). Here it goes:


1) My family, both immediate and adopted. They put up with me, laugh at my jokes, force me to be better than I really am, and simply brighten every one of my days.


2) My friends. I hope you know who you are. If not, then I need to do a better job in 2007 to make sure you do. These people--all very different from each other--give generously to me and really require very little in return.


3) The 27,000,000-degree heat of the sun. Without it, the Bahamas would be as frosty and dark as Hvalbakur or Engey islands, off the coast of Iceland. (Thanks to Google and Wikpedia for that one!)


In addition, my seratonin level would also be precariously low. And we just can't have that!


4) Ozone, for only allowing some of that 27,000,000-degree heat to actually reach us.



5) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I just can't get enough of these suckers. Love em.


6) My parents. The longer I live, the more I appreciate just how special they have always been. If I were my parents, I would have traded me in a long time ago.


7) Finally, I'm thankful for Nobu. You know the story.

Merry Christmas to all.


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