We have much to be thankful for

By Roberta Stauffer - 11/26/2008

Roberta Stauffer

Thanksgiving 2008 comes at a time of great uncertainty throughout the country and the world. True, certainty is always an illusion, for we never really know what even the next day will bring, but our ability to predict seems more and more stunted.

Will our jobs be around tomorrow? Will retirements hold their value? If we've lost jobs, will we find something else? Will a health care crisis leave us bankrupt?

The unknowns swirl, but today's not the day to dwell on them. It's Thanksgiving after all, and we in southwest Montana have ample blessings to count, many of which come free of charge. Here are but a few: The beautiful Big Hole and other rivers and streams in our back yard. Even if you neither fish nor float, just sitting along a bank soaking up sunshine, sights and sounds is an afternoon well spent. We're grateful to the many individuals and organizations working to restore and preserve these valuable resources through education and projects.

Top-notch skiing just minutes away. Cross-country ski trails near the Moulton Reservoir north of Butte are truly a treasure, as are the Mill Creek trails for both skiers and snowmobilers and the Discovery Basin and Maverick Mountain areas for downhill skiing and snowboarding. We're fortunate to have such fantastic winter recreation options so close by. Now all we need is more snow.

Along those same lines, we're grateful to Butte-Silver Bow for keeping up the neighborhood ice-skating rinks and to the dedicated volunteers who have maintained the world-class oval at Butte's High Altitude Sports Center for years. Washoe Park in Anaconda is another great place to skate. Winter need not be couch potato season around here.

And until the snow sets in, we've got miles of trails to enjoy both in and around Butte. There's something special about trail walking — no decisions to make on which way to go, no traffic to watch for — only views and solitude or views and good conversation to enjoy as the path unfolds.

Indoor gifts include both Montana Public Radio and Montana Public Television. Both offer endless variety — something for every taste — and a welcome alternative to commercial stations. We're lucky to be able to pick them up here in southwest Montana.

And board games and card games are highly underrated. A rousing game of poker — or Cranium, Risk, cribbage, you name it — provides a great way to relax with friends and family and forget the rest of the world for a while, laughs guaranteed.

This list of blessings could go on and on, from the many fairly low-cost entertainment options available to us, to the diverse range of community groups providing valuable services and wide-ranging social outlets.

We truly do have much to be thankful for around here, and as we move through these unsettling times, we would be wise to stay focused on the positives, especially those that don't cost much. Let's try to keep this spirit of gratitude going on into December.