I am thankful for a lot of things. For my family….for my successes…for my failures (learning moments)….for where life is great, and also where it sucks.
Being grateful for the world as it is is a difficult task. As humans, we have a tendency to want to shape and mold things to meet our liking. We are often frustrated when we realize there are some things we cannot fix. But learning to accept and deal with an often less than ideal situation is where people learn about themselves and their world.
Being thankful for the good stuff is easy. Being thankful for the challenges though is necessary.
You are the sum of your experiences. Most likely the places you have most grown up to be the good person that you are is when you were faced with an obstacle, you met it head on, and you overcame it and/or dealt with it appropriately. Be thankful for that. That is a moment that shaped who you are today, and people dig that person. If life was always easy it would be super boring and most people would never understand who they really are, or have the potential to be.
It is the people who we share our lives with that make this planet great. Positive relationships with other good people with similar interests and objectives are imperative to the human journey. I am a weed activist, so a lot of the people I run into are good people who also like weed. I have made some amazing friends and extended families in my work in the weed industry. Because weed is such a mystical and enlightening plant, there is no shortage of colorful and great kids who love weed.
I am thankful for the many people who I stand side-by-side with in the trenches with daily fighting for this just and worthy cause. While there are no shortage of wingnuts and losers embedded in the larger “movement,” there are also a million very good people working on this cause. There are people of every color, religion, and orientation that want nothing more than to return cannabis to its rightful place in society.
Some have called us outlaws and rebels; but we are seeing a major shift in our society; and people who support weed are becoming the norm- not the exception. People who like weed are becoming emboldened, as more folks are willing to stand up and say “I like weed and I am a good person.” As the chorus grows louder with those words the walls of prohibition will continue to crumble. Soon enough the fight will be over and the next wave of work will begin.
But I cherish these moments and the people I am honored to work with in the fight for cannabis freedom. These are special days and weed brings together some of the most amazing people. I need to remind myself to take it all in because these days will not be here forever. Prohibition is ending; and as I look around and recognize the dedication and honor that many have brought to the battle field I am humbled to call them my friends, my fellow soldiers, and heroes.
As we march into our final battles look around you. Be thankful that such great people have stepped up to get this done. When the history books are written on cannabis reform, it will not be the snake-oil salesmen that will take up the pages. It will be the courageous folks who stood up and demanded an end to one of the most immoral policies ever put in place.
Thank you.