To celebrate thanksgiving this year, I thought I might share my Top 100 list of things I am thankful for. In no particular order:

  1. Blue skies.
  2. Night-time thunderstorms.
  3. Nutella crepes.
  4. Gravity.
  5. Specialized S-Works Toupe saddles.
  6. Cheese.
  7. Architects.
  8. Seat belts.
  9. Planet Earth.
  10. Special operators.
  11. The economy making a comeback.
  12. Oakley Factory Pilot gloves.
  13. Courage.
  14. Antibacterial soap.
  15. Power outlets. Especially in airports.
  16. Dependable 3G and 4G networks.
  17. Artists.
  18. My parents.
  19. The nº 2 pencil.
  20. The interwebs.
  21. Emergency exits.
  22. Toilet paper.
  23. UHT milk.
  24. Sail boats.
  25. Yogurt.
  26. My wife and kids.
  27. France.
  28. Sushi.
  29. A roof over my head.
  30. Deodorant.
  31. Bacon.
  32. Nespresso machines.
  33. Fishermen and farmers.
  34. Helmets and armor.
  35. Petits Beurre, de LU.
  36. Canon cameras and lenses.
  37. My friends.
  38. My enemies.
  39. Holographic sights.
  40. Sorbets: particularly cassis and pear.
  41. My extended family.
  42. Bikes.
  43. Washing machines.
  44. Power tools.
  45. Passionate car makers. Among them: BMW (way to hang in there), Ford (welcome back) and Hyundai (it’s about time).
  46. Modern refrigeration.
  47. Extra virgin olive oil.
  48. Spring.
  49. Summer.
  50. Fall.
  51. Winter.
  52. Birthdays.
  53. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, for what they started.
  54. Toothpaste, mouthwash and breath mints.
  55. NASA.
  56. Dogs.
  57. My childhood.
  58. HBO, Cinemax and AMC.
  59. Smart phones, tablets and laptops.
  60. Bespoke tailors.
  61. BodyGlide.
  62. Triathlons & Crossfit. Equally.
  63. Duct Tape.
  64. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
  65. Performance fabrics.
  66. Kate Winslet.
  67. My EOR instructors in Lorient, and later my CIFUSIL NCOs.
  68. Belly laughs.
  69. French patisseries, but especially croissants.
  70. 120FPS.
  71. Cormack McCarthy, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Steven Pressfield.
  72. You guys.
  73. Medical researchers.
  74. US foreign policy in Europe since 1944.
  75. Antibiotics.
  76. The Walking Dead and Strike Back.
  77. Tactical denim.
  78. Designers (engineers and otherwise).
  79. Rubber bands.
  80. Paris, San Francisco and New York in the spring.
  81. Bees.
  82. Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Façonnable, Yves St. Laurent, Ralph Lauren and Francesco Smalto.
  83. Benevolent space aliens.
  84. Air travel.
  85. Brave, selfless people.
  86. The Mediterranean in summer.
  87. The perfect gin and tonic.
  88. Snorkeling/scuba gear.
  89. The USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
  90. Que/Pearson Publishing.
  91. Matches and lighters (because rubbing twigs together takes way too long).
  92. Home-made terrine on a fresh, warm baguette.
  93. The International Baccalaureate.
  94. Cashmere, Merino wool and shaggy fleece. (By the way…)
  95. My health.
  96. Old-timers.
  97. True professionals.
  98. Traditional French cuisine.
  99. Stereophonic sound.
  100. Every single day.

Missing from the list again this year:

  1. Alarm clocks.
  2. Disease.
  3. Selfishness.
  4. Sociopathic managers.
  5. Celery.
  6. Pollution.
  7. Bigotry.
  8. Cancer.
  9. Religious and political extremists.
  10. Poverty.
  11. American Idol.
  12. Fox News.
  13. Easy-Listening radio stations.
  14. Awful advertising.
  15. Land mines.
  16. Plastic shopping bags.
  17. Long lines.
  18. Social Media hacks.
  19. Rabid raccoons.
  20. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
  21. Comic Sans.
  22. Mean people.
  23. Partially hydrogenated oils.
  24. Adolf Hitler.
  25. Greedy CEOs.
  26. Corrupt politicians.
  27. Child molesters.
  28. SyFy Original movies.
  29. Willful ignorance.
  30. Stale coffee.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.