Things that I am thankful for

 

I was happy to finally get a photo of a
Mourning Warbler

   Every year I write a post on Thanksgiving about all of the things I am thankful for. This year I was in New Hampshire and did not have time to write a post. The last couple of years had been hard and I was thankful for relationships, not drowning, and grateful for knowing people that had died. Before the last couple of Thanksgiving posts, I used to write about a few good memories from the year. I am always grateful for New Hampshire, Laurie, Dave, and Striped Bass.

   Having dividing my time between taking care of a bed bound Laurie and trying to see how many species of vertebrates  I can see in a year this year I am just grateful for nature. Without fish, the mountains, the ocean, snakes, and frogs I would be lost.

   I can not put into words how beautiful I think the natural world is. I love to fish, flip rocks, hike, snorkel, chase birds, and find any other excuse to be outside. There are many people that have mental health problems. I am lucky, other than every day stress that we all have to deal with, I do not have any mental health problems. I believe that would not be true if I didn't have the outside world. Being outdoors is my relaxation, but it also my adrenaline rush. It is my reason for planning sunrise to sunset adventures on my days off from work. 

  I could name every thing I enjoy about nature from seeing a rare bird, sitting on top of a mountain, to casting my fly or surf rod. But that list would be endless. While I may get overwhelmed in May, and wish the seasons wouldn't end in November, I understand these are First World problems and I am extremely lucky. 

It seems as though I have not had "a normal year" in the last few. With my back sidelining me a few years ago (awful) and then being healthy and not working (amazing) I had a strange couple of years. I thought things were back to normal when I got my job at Bass Pro in February. I had less free time but also had an income again. Then Laurie got hurt, broke her ankle, and had other medical issues. So many of my plans were derailed over the summer. So this year had more downs than anticipated. Still, I am grateful that when I had time... I had nature to go to. Chasing down many vertebrates was/has been a challenge that has kept me busy all year.

   Below is a list of a few of the things I m grateful for this year. While the writing above is more like my Thanksgiving posts from the last couple of years, I'd like to think about a few individual things that changed 2024 for the better for me...

    I am thankful for my job at Bass Pro Shops. Working in the fishing department is a place I thrive. I'm getting pretty good at my job and enjoy the people I work with. Management treats us well. For example, the last two days they bought us pizza. 

   I am thankful for the use of the seine. I have seen a lot of really neat fish I never knew were in both the ocean and freshwater. It takes two people to use it, so thanks to all of those that helped me.

   I am still thankful for stripers, New Hampshire, and Laurie.

   I am thankful for my birder friends.

   I love smallmouth bass

   I m thankful I got to fish with Dave a few times this year. Birding has really made it tough to go carp fishing. Glad I caught a few carp also.

   I am thankful for all of the lifers I saw this year. I got at least one lifer mammal, bird, fish, and herp. Each one was an adrenaline rush.

   I am thankful I sucked it up and bought an electric motor for my canoe. Just using the motor means more fish because I am not spending as much time paddling. Game changer!

   Call it consumerism if you want, but I am extremely thankful for my employee discount at work. I get a huge discount on Bass Pro brand gear and a very good discount on gear made by other companies. I have really improved my rods and reels along with a couple pairs of hiking boots.

   Lastly, as I said, I am just grateful I love nature. My mom had me outside as a little kid. She took me fishing and on nature walks. But I think it might not have been "nurture" in the nature vs nurture question. I think I would have wanted to explore and see all the fish and snakes anyway. For that, I am truly thankful.