The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I find, is usually a time to reflect upon the things I have to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday; growing up in England, we did not celebrate this event. My first recollections of Thanksgiving include attending a party in London (when I was studying as a barrister), held by a bunch of Americans. Then, it was a succession of wild celebrations in New York the next two years.
Seriously, the reason why Thanksgiving is so enjoyable for me is that there is not a commercial angle attached to it...that comes the day after! So, instead of focusing on the commercialism of shopping frenzy during the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I prefer to keep in mind the things I can be thankful for. Therefore, in the spirit of this season, I thought I would list, in no particular order, some items that I offer for us all to keep at the back of our minds during this time of year.
Our families, business colleagues, friends and neighbors – I've found that within our PCOC family all of these categories may include the same people!
The country in which we live – Sometimes, we take our freedoms for granted. At least we wear them lightly. We live in the greatest country in the world. We are able to enjoy the freedom to speak, conduct business, travel and live ... to name but a few, that come to mind immediately.
The state in which we live – California is blessed with more things than a fantastic climate, don't you think? Even though we complain all the time about our overreaching state government, compare this to other places in the world where you wouldn't want to live because of dictatorship or oppressive regimes.
And finally, our industry and our trade association, PCOC - The pest control industry is one of the backbones of our state economy fulfilling an essential service for all Californians. I believe also that our industry is so fortunate to have such a strong trade association. When you look at other states and look at how we deploy our resources, you should be proud of your trade association.
......just some of the things to be thankful for.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!