Thanks, given

If you've ever run in a charity race, you've had the experience of receiving water or Gatorade or something similar from a volunteer standing along the race course.

If you're a decidedly amateur runner, like me, you've probably managed to at least bob your head or grunt to express your thanks. After all, it's mostly a thankless task, that includes picking up all the discarded cups and bottles when the race has been run, and hey, I'm not going to win anyway. So I can express my thanks.

If, on the other hand, you're a super-powered athlete with any chance of winning the race, or beating some kind of record, you won't be as likely to waste your breath on thanks. You just take the water. The volunteers are used to that, I'm sure. So no harm done. Especially if you're running for a good cause. You'll feel grateful when it's all over.

Then there's the race of life; the inhuman race, as I've sometimes called it. The rules are different in that race, primarily because the idea is NOT to get to the finish line as quickly as you can. In fact, if you get all the way to the end and discover that you've finished your race, and not said thanks along the way... you've lost.

So in the race of life, I'm really grateful for the annual break that is Thanksgiving. It's an opportunity to slow down on the way to the finish line, remember what I'm running for in the first place, and be grateful for sustenance along the way.

Hope yours was filled with good friends, good food, and gratitude.