There are a lot of important things to be grateful for, like work, family, health, a home and orange soda, but I’ve talked about most of those quite a bit this year already. So, when I sat down to run through my brain reserves, I decided I wanted to do something new and different. I’ve been thinking a lot about the small things in life that can add up to something big. I think we should all take a moment to reflect on the tiny, important details that mean absolutely nothing, and therefore mean everything.

Tiny Things I’m Grateful For:

1 – The Bedside Fan

Sitting dutifully on the table beside my bed is a small Lasko fan. it rarely gets turned off at all, barely gets noticed when it is there and pumping. Working constantly for my comfort. Here is the thing about that fan, it is probably the only thing that makes sure I get a full night’s sleep ever. If it wasn’t for that little fan, I would would toss and turn even more than I do in dark fits and near suffocation. Instead, I am able to get at least a few hours of sleep each night, my face happy as air pumps directly into it. I always forget how important my fan is until I don’t have it. I just keep on working it until it dies, and it never complains. For that, I should be thankful.

2 – Cruise Control

I spend a lot of time driving up and down the highway between Kansas City and Springfield, MO. I mean, a lot of time. I do like 2-3 trips back and forth sometimes. If I had to spend all of that time pushing on the gas peddle, like I have in years past, I would tear the crap out of my shoes. Seriously, people underestimate the amount of damage that pushing the peddles in your car does to your footwear. It can cause a pretty bad stress tear right at the ball of your foot. Almost all of my shoes die this way. Having that little amazing button, which is a pretty damned awesome miracle anyway, a button that keeps you propelling down the highway at 70 miles per hour, is pretty awesome. Plus, it boosts the gas mileage by 3-4 miles per gallon and keeps you from getting a speeding ticket. It’s like a button dedicated to saving you money!

3 – The Guy that Doesn’t Make me take off my hat at the Gas Station

The gas station that is basically halfway between my house and work also happens to be directly across the street from the high school and in a neighborhood that can be considered as close to “bad part of town” as we get here in Belton. For some reason, this has created two very interesting rules for shopping there: 1) Only 1 kid at a time in an unsupervised group allowed inside, 2) No backpacks or hats. I understand that these are rules that probably needed to be put in place to keep some punk ass kids from stealing candy, or worse the delicious, delicious wines that they have an uncanny selection of for a gas station, but it was enforced for a long time for everyone. This was somewhat crazy to me, because I’ve stopped in there at least once a day for the last 5 years, but still, they’d make me doff my hat upon entering the building each time.

I don’t as a general rule of thumb leave my hat on when I’m inside anyway, since I’m a gentleman and that’s now how we roll, but it’s a gas station and my hat had 3 primary functions that make it important for me to be allowed to wear it to the door: 1) It protects my pale, balding head from the evils of the day ball, 2) It keeps rain off of my glasses, which could literally save my life someday, and 3) It makes me look pretty freakin’ awesome.  I know it’s a matter of convenience, I could just carry it while I’m inside the store, but I’m a rebel.

I like the fact that when I wear my hat inside that store, I’m breaking a written and publicized rule. Since the guy that closes is pretty much the only one that doesn’t every say anything to me, I’ve taken to only stopping on my way home from work unless it’s an emergency.

Of course, now I’m working on the morning lady, too. Soon she will cave to my hat’s magical powers.

Besides, it’s a stupid rule anyway.

4 – The Cookie Scented Robot in my Office

Look, I don’t know what it’s actually called, but it’s a little thing in my office that sprays air freshener every 36 minutes. It has a little green blinky light to let you know that it’s got plenty of battery, and every half hour it goes “Weeerrrroooooo — PSSSSSSHHHHH,” ejecting it’s fragrant wonder into the air. It makes my office, a room that once smelled like sweaty dog and stinky man feet, smell like freshly baked sugar cookies. Every time I sit down in my office I think, “Man, I really want some cookies.” Then I write without the stink of dogman running through the air. It is an extremely pleasant experience. I recommend you all go out in search of your own cookie scented robots.

5 – Good Iced Tea

Okay, I know you think you can make a decent gallon of tea, but you’re probably wrong. For some reason, the entire time I lived away from my parents I couldn’t get anyone to make a decent gallon of tea. Even when I made a gallon of tea it just didn’t taste right, and I’ve realized it was because I lacked access to the proper ingredients. Actually, I’m going to drop a knowledge bomb on you right now. I don’t think it has anything to do with what you make the tea out of, but what you make the tea in. My parents have a tea pitcher that makes delicious tea. I drink a lot of it. Probably too much of it. I have my entire life. When I move out, I need to remember to steal their pitcher. I should probably have not put that here in case they actually read this…

I mean, I’m going to have to find a place to buy an identical pitcher for making the tea…. yes… that is what I will have to do.

Going Forward

As I head into the new year, facing down the giant pile of unfinished dreams that will have to be tackled in the first quarter of next year to make room for 2012’s dreams, I will try not to take the little things for granted anymore. Maybe I should get a little notebook to write down and keep a record of all the tiny details in life that makes it worth living.

It couldn’t hurt.

Oooh.. tiny notebooks should be on the top of that list…