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So many things to be thankful for

By CRISSI HOLZMANN

My boss asked me to write a column every few weeks. After a rapid rise in blood pressure, accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath, some near-fainting spells, sleepless nights and a strong temptation to skip the country because of this, I finally started to see the silver lining in the very black cloud of hopelessness and the days ahead did not look so bleak after all once I started to see the benefits of doing this.

As I am sure my colleagues already know, I am a very passionate person (as are we all) and this could be a place for me to “vent,” an outlet for my views on the world as we know it and a doorway for me to share my thoughts with you, the reader. Usually I am able to express myself in my art, but I know that words are just as good. And so, here I am.

After some weeks of intense grouching about the fact that I had to write a column, and grouching about everything else in existence for that matter (perhaps because of the rough weather we have been having or because of my late nights when I haven’t been able to get to sleep as early as I would have liked and thus practically baring my teeth to anyone who came too close and daring them to cross my path) I came across an e-mail shortly after Thanksgiving which really touched me and resulted in making me feel very different about a lot of things, and more appreciative of them than ever before.

I suddenly realized just how lucky I was, in every aspect of my life. And so, dear reader, I want this column to be all about saying a big “Thank you” to all those people, and things, that I hold so dear.

For starters, I am thankful that I am able to sit here and write this column, thankful that I am alive, healthy, able to breathe in the fresh air and wake each day to a brand new morning and a new beginning.

One of my favorite sayings is by Albert Einstein, “There are two ways to live your life: One way is to believe that nothing is a miracle, the other is to realize that everything is a miracle.” I hope that one day I can truly live by the latter.

I thank God that He allowed me to be born into such a wonderful family, with such wonderful parents, parents that put their children first before everything else. Their whole lives centered around us.

They struggled and counted every cent, simply so that they were able to provide us with the best education that there was out there. I hated it then, but I appreciate it so much now.

I hated the fact that they were so strict with me and my sister, but I appreciate it now because as we grew up we realized that we had been treated as the most special flowers with the most tender love and care that parents could give.

Mom and Dad, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

For all the complaining I have done about wishing there were three workdays in a week instead of five, and that there were 25 weeks holiday a year instead of just two or three (the true inner me is lazy to the core), I am thankful that I have a job and even more thankful that I have such a wonderful boss.

And to put the cherry on top, I am even doing something that I really love doing — art.

And for all of you out there (and my colleagues and coworkers), NO, I am NOT trying to score “brownie points” by saying this (or “noddy points” as we South Africans say), I am being quite genuine and I am sure you would agree.

Being in a new country, foreign environment and feeling completely displaced, my coworkers helped to make the transition a wonderful one and welcomed me into The Citizen. It truly is a wonderful workplace and I have the most incredible colleagues; each and every one of them is a pleasure to work with.

And so I say, “Thank you, Cal, and everyone else, for allowing me to grow as I have and being so supportive in the years that I have worked here.” One more thing, “Can I have an extra month of holiday now?”

Want to know what I hate most in the world? Mowing the lawn. Yup, I feel that is my purgatory on earth. I dislike it so much that sometimes I let weeks pass between each “mowing session.”

The grass grows so long sometimes that by the time I am out there on the green expanse again, I feel like “Crissiana Jones,” a modern-day adventurer, trying to hack my way through a thick tropical jungle.

On the bright side though, (very) deep down inside, I am thankful that I have a lawn to mow at all because that means that I have a roof over my head and that means a lot to me.

I know that there are a lot of people in the world who are not so lucky and my heart goes out to them. I am doubly thankful that my (tiny) roof is still intact after this year’s bout of severe weather.

Have I mentioned before how terrified I am of tornadoes? Please God willing, may my roof still be intact by this time next year, and the year after that.

Every evening, my left arm practically falls off after having to stroke my dog’s ears for several hours from the time I arrive home until I go to sleep.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I am blessed with such a gift as my best friend, Taicha, my spoilt princess of a dog. There is nothing in the world like arriving home to the jubilant barks (and hugs) of my most loyal friend that has brought so much joy into my life.

My thanks to my little girl for putting up with each and every one of my many (many, many, many) moods with so much patience and love.

I am also thankful that I am able to give her a good home filled with love; it breaks my heart to see so many other animals that are so mistreated out there.

Driving home in the pouring rain and freezing cold at times, it is heart-wrenching to see dogs that are left chained outside trying to withstand the severe weather while their owners are cosy and warm tucked away inside their residences.

I have a few additional gray hairs on my head now from one of the most stressful evenings I have had in the last few years.

Last month, on Tuesday, Nov. 2, I sat up into the early morning hours of Wednesday as I chewed deep grooves into my fingernails waiting for the final results of the presidential election.

With the final results still not having been declared by the time I tipped over asleep as the light of dawn started to sneak through the blinds, I awoke just a few hours later knowing that my prayers would be answered (and that of so many others) as I realized what the outcome was going to be.

For that, I thank God, as I have immense respect for this God-fearing man that is to be our president for the next four years. I respect him for his deep-rooted faith and for how he so strongly stands up for what he believes in. Truly, he is a man of strength and character.

I know that there are also a lot of you out there who feel differently. But this is what I sincerely believe and, like you, I am strongly passionate about what I believe in.

And also, like you, I want the best for our country — this wonderful country of ours — where we have the freedom to be ourselves, stand up for what we believe in, be united as one under our Creator. For this, again, I thank God. May God bless all of you, and may God bless America!

Until next time ....