I’m thankful for...

Ok I completely forgot to do mine until I went to Vera's blog, so this is backdated – better late than never though.

I consider myself a chief figure in the world of goal-setters (and go-getters). I've set countless goals in the past, falling short - as I'm compelled to admit - of the vast majority. My failures though were not for a lack of trying on my part, just so you know; I suspect that Fate derives a sadistic pleasure out of occasionally plucking - with impeccable timing - some critical cog out of the wheel of my life. My grand plan was at this stage to be, amongst other things; a billionaire, a Phd, a high-flying politician/diplomat/activist of some sort, leader of a missionary/charity organization like the 700 club, and a published writer.

Obviously I fell short of every one of those goals, but in failing at them I daresay I've had about as fascinating an experience as I might have had in achieving them - or perhaps I'm merely consoling myself. My partner asked me in an IM conversation today what motivated me to go to work every morning. My answer was '...my future. I always keep in mind that whatsoever I receive acclaim for having achieved in the future will simply be a sum of the effort I put into each day. With this in mind, I push myself everyday to outstrip every achievement of the previous day. I ask myself everyday what I've done towards being the me I see tomorrow' – or something to that effect.

And so, having learnt all that I have in the pursuit of my dreams, I am thankful foremost for the God who chose this young man for no great virtue of his and entrusted him with the lofty missions He has. That being said, I'm equally thankful for:

• The privilege of having dreamt them; having attempted and failed at attaining them in such a period as I thought to be possible; and in so doing for having learnt, as Edison said, the various ways not to attempt them.
  
• My circle of acquaintance which God has enlarged - despite my consistently sabotaging his efforts (or so I think) – to include some of the most remarkable people on His green Earth. I'm working on gradually subjugating my me-ness enough to tell them how much they mean to me.
  
• My family, dysfunctional as it is, who have maintained their unflinching belief in me for reasons I may never fully understand.
  
• The life of a father whom I quite despised till I faced the fear of losing him.
  
• The guidance of a mentor, who taught me both to look before I leap, and to know what jumps are at the present time, beyond me. As the Chinese saying goes 'One cannot leap a chasm in two jumps'.
  
• The many loves I despised and the one I embraced.
  

I started this year with a resolve to live hard, passionately, with all I had. I'm thankful for that having never changed in spite of all the challenges I faced.

P.S - I should also say thank you to the nice bloggers who've popped in at some point to read my ramblings. They're most notably, and in no particular order; NDQ, Lareine, Standtall, Paradigm, Aloofar, Vera, Shubbydoo, Ohakim and Kat. Notice that this text is smaller? I went through a great deal of trouble to find a means of shrinking this Post Script to the point of near or complete indecipherability. Unfortunately my efforts were not adequately rewarded and this is how far I got. I guess you guys win this one.