San Mateo Daily Journal Column – November 21, 2023
by Craig Wiesner
As I woke up one morning and realized it was an hour earlier than I needed to stir, I decided to quietly give thanks for all the blessings in my life. That gave me the inspiration for this Thanksgiving week column.
I’m grateful for my husband of 33 years. We got married in our church in 1990. California made it “legal” in 2008 and the Supreme Court recognized our bond nationwide in 2015. Despite never believing it could happen, seeing the White House lit up in rainbow colors after the Obergefell decision increased my belief that if something’s worth fighting for you should keep on fighting until you win. And, I also have to remember that victory may not come in my own lifetime. I’m grateful for all the shoulders I stand on!
My typical day is actually full of things for which to be thankful, starting with there being no surprise when I flip a light switch or turn on the water and things work exactly as they should. Having spent time with our partner community in El Salvador, electricity and clean running water were not things to be expected. Having a cup of Fair Trade coffee reminds me of the farmers around the world and how much better their lives are thanks to the Fair Trade movement. Paying well and decreasing the number of steps between producer and consumer are good for everyone!
Heading down 101 towards our shop I’m grateful for the roads we have, despite potholes and, yes, disliking the toll lanes. I’m reminded of the dirt roads in El Salvador and the rubble pretending to be roads in Afghanistan. We had a minor crash one afternoon near Kabul and I was astounded at how the two young Afghans handled it. Each got out of their vehicles and touched their hearts, smiling at each other. Then they looked at the damage, minor, shrugged their shoulders, and after a few words got back into their driver’s seats and left. Our nickname for our driver was “Crazy Driver” so we were glad things weren’t too bad. By the way, in Afghanistan the “toll lane” was run by a teenager, standing amidst the rubble in the middle of nowhere, with a manual traffic arm and an old Russian rifle who made our car stop to pay him a few bucks. It reminded me of a scene from Blazing Saddles!
Getting to work I’m grateful to have a shop in San Carlos where the city government and staff really do care about small businesses. All of the great events the city sponsors, which help to promote downtown family businesses like ours, and which residents of all ages enjoy, are not easy to pull off. The logistics of the Sunday Farmers Market, Hometown Days, the Art and Wine Festival, Holiday Lights, and other events are gracefully handled with minimal disruption. The folks at Parks and Rec and traffic/parking control are amazing in their attention to detail.
I’m grateful to have a small role in our county government. Serving on the LGBTQIA+ Commission has given me the opportunity to see the sausage being made within the county, our cities, and state, and unlike that old saying, I actually like what I see. I’ve met so many people dedicated to serving us, working hard, graciously and compassionately, and the successful results of their work, our quality of life here, are abundant.
I’m grateful when I go home that we have enough food to eat, and I can choose between doom scrolling the news, watching a movie or series, or catching up on reading. When I go to bed I’m grateful to have a dog who gets to snuggle next to me until my husband entices her to get off the bed with a cookie.
Now I’m not naive. I know there are horrible things happening in the world and people are suffering. I know how much violence, hate, fear, and ignorance there is. I’ve experienced them all directly. I’m grateful that because of my experiences I can empathize with others, truly listen, learn from my mistakes, and take concrete actions to help others. Life has taught me that the struggles for peace, social justice, equity, and healing the planet are worth it, no matter how many people tell us we’re wrong or try to get in our way. I’m grateful for the land we live and work on, recognizing that it was taken from the indigenous people who loved and nurtured it long ago, and that we have yet to pay the debt we owe them and others who, for centuries, helped build this nation while being treated as “less than.”
Happy Thanksgiving neighbors. I’m grateful for all of you, even the ones I sometimes drive crazy with my columns.