Auf Wiedersehen!

Farewell to another Oktoberfest... I got my booth closed up, torn down, loaded into the pick up, put away back at my office and then home before 9pm last nite. I was in bed and happy by 9:30 lol. I'm glad that's done!

As I was rolling out of the festival grounds last nite for the nite, I rolled slowly past three drunk people, stumbling along, all holding one another up, talking loudly, saying stupid things and nearly falling down. They yelled at me to give them a ride in the back of my pick up. I waved and continued on lol. (thankfully, I was well loaded down with stuff, but I still wouldn't have given them a ride lol.) 13, almost 14 years ago, that would have been me after a weekend of walking around with a perpetually full 1/2 gallon plastic milk jug of beer, drinking non-stop. I don't envy the police, their task of clearing the grounds of drunks last nite. And, I don't envy those drunks. I don't miss those days at all.

I'm grateful...

+ that I do not have to live like I used to (this weekend was a great little "flashback" for me)
+ that I put enough trust in God that He's gotten me to where I am today
+ that my faith in God grows a little bit on a consistent basis, when I tend to my "spiritual garden"
+ that I have a nice quiet office to work in today, with no German polka music pounding all day...
+ that there will be no drunk people talking loudly, asking me what a Chamber of Commerce is and breathing on me...
+ that Ian enjoyed his birthday and that at least my mom came down to visit him... dad was too busy, again
+ that I only have to go to Chuck E Cheese's on rare occasions (it's just like Oktoberfest but no beer or polka bands lol)
+ that my wife's mom and cousin drove up from West Virginia to spend a few days with us for Ian's birthday
+ that I awoke with a clear mind for a fresh start to a new day/week/month/year/life

share your gratitude with someone today... give a friendly greeting, a warm hug, a helping hand... pass it along :-)