For USA readers, yesterday was Thanksgiving – I spent the day with family, being thankful for so much. For the international readers, I hope you joined in yesterday, or perhaps will join me in some thankfulness today.
Front and center on my list of things to be thankful for are: health, family, and community. Health makes the whole thing possible; family–immediate and extended–gives me the daily dose of what love really means, as well as the strength to live a full life; and community–my friends, my amazing staff, co-collaborators, and you–make it all so exciting, rich, and inspirational beyond my wildest dreams. All these things are wonderful and worthwhile things to celebrate.
Within the always-humbling, sometimes-overwhelming presence that this community has in my life, I draw an immeasurable amount of inspiration and motivation. It’s continually shocking for those times when I receive your thanks or kind words, because in my head, our roles are reversed – I feel like the one who clearly derives the most benefit from your participation in this constantly growing community. Words here cannot extend a big enough thanks to you.
Let me take a moment to thank a small handful of friends, collaborators, organizations that have for some reason or another recently made an (another?) impression on me. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a short one that is present for me at the moment. They are all, in some unexpected ways, not to be missed:
NON PROFIT ORGS
4Culture.org
Blue Earth Alliance
Help-Portrait
MUSIC
Head Like A Kite
Victor Shade
Say Hi
Fences
Shabazz Palaces
GOOD PEOPLE
The Superformula
Ace Hotel
Vince Klimek.
Matt’s In The Market.
Foodista
Small-Lot Wines
Mike Horn
Build LLC
Theo Chocolate
Lastly. If you feel inclined to, please share in the comments section below something you’re thankful for. Anything sincere–and this is not just for the USA folks. It might be a USA holiday, but gratitude is worldwide. I’ll select a handful of comments and send you a signed book or something else to show my thanks for your sharing.
Oh, and I always love this reminder: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward Have a great weekend.
My thanks go out to you Chase.
Your innovation with CreativeLIVE. What a concept. Offering up world class photographers for DAYS of free instruction and consultation and then for download later. The improvement in my photography with instruction from the likes of Zack, Tamara and others in a short time has been heaven sent.
I can’t begin to thank you enough!
As I get older, I learn to be thankful for people more than material things. The people in my life who inspire me to work harder, love better and dream bigger are what I am most thankful for…well, that and all five of my senses. 😉
I’m thankful for my family (wife and children 7 & 5), for having the ability to be happy and at peace in spite of life’s many challenges and difficulties, and last but not least for my love of photography and all the improvements I’ve made over the last 2 or 3 years. Knowing that people actually DO like the work I create is wonderful.
I’m thankful for the gift of family :o)
Nice Chase! Thanks for the reminder to stop and think. So difficult sometimes, even on Thanksgiving, to stop and remember what we are, or should be, thankful for! to name a few things….
My wife!: She is the rock that keeps my ADD driven insane overachiver attitude in check!
TinyURL: I once pasted in a 12 hour double booked crazy day calendar…. it simplified it down to 7 characters! I did it in frustration, but it opened my eyes to the fact i dont need to dwell on all of it…. just simplify it to whats important.
Thanks for YOU Chase!
jeff