I feel as though I may be the luckiest man alive. So, while I should be engaging in my Thanksgiving traditions of gorging on black olives and deviled eggs, watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and chasing the kids around the house with a spatula shouting “Happy Spanks-Giving!”, I’m instead going to make a hasty but heartfelt list of the things for which I’m most grateful this season. And this has truly been a year that has heaped blessings upon me.

My Family – As a young man, I professed that I didn’t want kids. I’m the oldest of five natural siblings – two sisters and two brothers – plus three stepsisters, a half sister, and a stepbrother from two different stepparents. Growing up under divorced parents amid the cacophony of all those rugrats, I concluded that the lone wolf way was the better path for me.

My two beautiful boys (a few years younger) demonstrate the second best thing to do with Thanksgiving olives.

That all seems absurd to me, now that I have a beautiful and intelligent woman as my life partner – she’s my wife, but it really is more than that – and two of the most amazing children I could ever have wished for. I love you, Cathrine, Ridley, and Ian.

My Siblings – And I love all of those siblings, from whatever combination of parents they sprang, now that they’re not messing up my paint by numbers kits or embarrassing me in front of girls. (Not as often, anyway.) As adults, they’ve turned into bright, interesting, complex people. They are entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, a Harley chick, an equestrian, a globetrotter, a mechanic, outdoorsy ones, indoorsy ones. They’re all so funny I’d rather drink beers and swap stories with them than just about any other thing I can think of.

My Parents – My mom’s been gone a long time, but there’s no more fitting time to remember her than Thanksgiving, a holiday she dearly loved. From her I learned to believe in myself, to love unconditionally, to forgive. From my dad, I learned to go my own way, to reject unworthy authority, to pick up a shovel and do some work, to treat everyone with respect and dignity. They’re lessons with which I still struggle, with mixed results, to apply every day. Also, this paragraph wouldn’t be complete without a thank you to my dear departed uncle, my mother’s brother, who served in many ways as a surrogate father after my parents divorced and we moved away. Don engendered my love of the outdoors with fishing and camping trips and my love of cooking with his incredible lasagnas and tacos and turkeys. He’s deeply missed by all of the family whom he bonded together for so many years.

My Job – This one is due for a post of its own, so I’ll only briefly say that it’s been incredibly gratifying to launch out on my own this year, in the turmoil of a perilous economy, and be able to thrive while working from home, spending more time with my family and my outdoor activities and books and movies and the other things I love. I’m truly grateful for that good fortune.

My Mentor – I have a network of friends I refer to as my “Dumb Question Network,” whom I trust to answer my dumb questions openly, generously, and with a minimum of snickering. Standing at the center of this group is Jason Baer, who for close to a decade has offered me advice, answers, support, and motivation. He doesn’t need another fan singing his praises online – he has a global network of admirers – but he deserves all the gratitude and praise he receives. I’m grateful to have him as a friend.

My Friends – There’s a lot of overlap here with my “Dumb Question Network,” which is both by design and by extremely good luck: I happen to be friends with some of the smartest people in my business. I can’t possibly name them all, but I’m thankful for the friendship of Alan Perkel, Chris Johnson, Todd Peden, Mike Corak, Maggie Young, Doug Cholewa, Greg Chapman, Robert Morris, Michael Glover, and so many more that I’m regretting even starting this list for fear of leaving off some indispensable someone. Please forgive me any oversight.

The Outdoors – Nothing restores my spirit more than getting outside, whether it’s a hike in Cave Creek, snowboarding in the White Mountains, a singletrack bike ride with friends in the mountain preserve, or a backpacking trip in the Colorado Rockies. I’m grateful to be a child of the Southwest, to have access to so much incredible wilderness, and to have had the opportunity early in life to experience time spent outdoors as an essential component of my life.

My Country – I’ve not felt a stronger wave of optimism than that which welled up within me last November when we elected Barack Obama our president. This country faces many challenges, it will take years or decades to solve some of them, and no one man holds the key. But the fact that my countrymen chose hope and optimism and elected an educated and thoughtful leadership, renewed in me the idea that we could make the world better – together. For all its mistakes, problems, and ugliness, this still is the greatest country in the world, and I’m thankful to be a citizen.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and friends. Now I need to go grab a spatula and deliver some Spanks-Giving.

This is an update on a post from exactly one year ago, announcing that my good friend Tom Fulcher had just found a kidney donor to make possible his life-saving kidney transplant.

Today is the one year anniversary of that successful surgery, a day that Tom calls his “kidney birthday.” And what a year it has been. After moving successfully through the initial weeks in which organ rejection is a concern, Tom has continued to do fantastic, an opinion shared by his doctor, his friends, and his wonderful wife Michelle (who donated a kidney last year as part of the donor chain that made Tom’s transplant possible). He’s active, vital, and funny. Making the most of his “rebirthday,” Tom is this weekend hiking the Grand Canyon with Michelle. Last week he and I took home the “trophy” and $40 first prize in the Tuesday night trivia contest at Rock Bottom Brewery, beating eight other teams, including one team of 10.

I feel blessed to have a good friend like Tom, and grateful that I can count on him being around for a long time. Happy kidney birthday, Tom. The next pint is on me.

My good friend Tom has been on kidney dialysis for the past few months, as his kidneys have essentially failed from a disease called PKD. He’s been on the transplant list for over a year.

Tom called me last night to tell me he is getting a kidney transplant this morning. He found out yesterday that he had a donor, and he went in at 5 a.m. today. This happened as the result of a paired donation program, and Tom’s wife Michelle will be donating a kidney next Friday as part of the arrangement. Here’s Michelle’s amazing story about the paired donation deal:

As a reminder, we are part of the paired kidney donation system. Some of you may be familiar given recent national and Valley media attention the last few years.  Our particular ‘chain’ includes 11 other donor/recipient pairs like Tom and me. We’re told this is the largest chain in AZ history!  Basically, live donors come forward anonymously or to support those needing a kidney with whom they have a connection. In our case, I have come forward and offered my kidney so Tom can receive one more quickly.  He has already been on the cadaver kidney waiting list one year. As a qualified donor, I will donate my kidney to somebody who is more blood, etc. compatible with me.  In turn, Tom will receive a more compatible kidney from someone he doesn’t know. For the last two months, Tom has performed home dialysis as his overall kidney function dropped to a dangerous less than 4%. This transplant will greatly improve his quality of life.  For that we are blessed and eternally grateful.

Wondering how our chain began? With one man. A generous human being came forward to donate anonymously as he witnessed the positive life changes of a friend post-kidney transplant. His loving gesture created a chain from which Tom’s kidney is made possible.  For more information about organ donation, please contact the gifted team at Banner Samaritan Transplant Services (Jennifer Boothby) at (602) 251-2742.  One person CAN make a difference.