I Should Be Thankful

Lately, I've been a cross between being utterly miserable with my life and then utterly thankful that my life is not nearly as bad comparatively to what's going on in the world.
(1a) I am thankful for my job - I've just been informed by HR that as of 11/17/2009 I've officially been employed at my company for 5 years. This means that I should be entitled to a big pat on the back and an engraved desk clock and/or pen at our annual holiday party. (1b) I never in a million years thought that I would (a) be doing what I'm doing and (b) be doing it for 5 years already.
(2a) We live in a very nice apartment. When we moved in nearly two years ago I was so thankful that we found such a gorgeous place on our budget. Our kitchen is top notch, my bathroom has floor to ceiling marble, and basic cable is included. What more could a girl want? Funny you should ask! (2b) Since moving into our rental, which is in a condominium (and despite having a great owner/landlord) I've spent approximately $500-$1,000 on pesticide treatments (my neighbors must be dirty people whose lifestyle attracts ants). My air conditioning unit (brand new in 2008) needs its second official repair - not because of anything we do, but because the builder did not correctly set up the drainage for the units...guess who has to pay for that one? And finally, that fantastic basic cable is constantly missing several channels thanks to the lovely people at MDU Communications, DirecTv, and our association president. We are renting a money pit!
(3a) I am not a shallow b*tch! I watch the news everyday, I read the NYTimes on the weekend, and try to stay on top of current events. I get mad about health care. I get mad about Afghanistan (per my dad, didn't we learn anything from the Russians? You cannot win a war there)and mad about Iraq. I get mad that a mother would sell her daughter to pay off a drug debt. I don't understand why "Main St" and the small business owner doesn't really matter and that so many hard working people are without work. And don't even get me started on how helpless as Americans we are to do absolutely anything about all this crap. I'll admit it, I voted for Obama, I jumped on the bandwagon, I drank the Kool-Aid, but now (and this might be because my sister is a political insider) I can't wait to stick someone else in there in 2012. Not that it will matter and that might be the root of all of my frustration.
(3b) Now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I'm thankful for every single doctor and nurse that takes time out of their busy schedules to help those that cannot afford medical insurance and otherwise would not have care AND I'm even more thankful that people donate to support these types of clinics and advocacy groups. I am thankful for every soldier that comes back home safely and thankful to the news organizations that show these homecomings and not just the ones who don't make it back here safely. I am glad that we have a court and prison system that will send that mother to jail for the rest of her life and throw away the key. I am thankful that despite all the economists saying this is the worst time in American History to open up a business - someone everyday does. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can actually blog about all of this...
Please take the time and watch "Food, Inc." My husband and I did today and it has really changed the way we are going to eat and look at the food that we actually do eat with a more discerning eye. I'm no longer going to support Publix for my vegetables, fruit, dairy, and meat/fish/poultry. I will purchasing all of those items from local and organic farmers. I am also going to blog about it and let you know how it goes.
Happy Thanksgiving!