Thanksgiving and mermaids.

Well, today is Thanksgiving, and I have some rare alone time in which I can sit and think. Of course, I've spent much of today thinking about all the things that I'm fortunate to have, including all of the intangibles that one might expect when discussing such things. There was lots of talk on that topic earlier when I was visiting with my wife's family, so of course, many things come to mind. I'm healthy, run my own business (that I love), and have a house and two cars. Oh, and a scooter that I could drive if I needed to. I have a pretty cool wife who is finding herself and has yet to kill me in my sleep, and a son who brings such joy to my heart...most of the time. I have just enough money to get noodles now and then. And two absolutely ridiculous pugs. (Boba loves everyone, BeBe seems to just love me.) I have friends for whom I would lay down my life, as they've been there for me every single time I've needed them. You know who you are. And I'm thankful for the last few years that have ranged from wonderful to extremely challenging. Every step of the way has been a learning opportunity, whether the day was fabulous or just a big kick in the nuts...either way I'm grateful for it all.

That being said, I watched a mock-umentary on mermaids today. It was obviously fiction, but it tweaked my imagination and sent me Googling. The show was on Animal Planet and apparently got enough buzz when it came out that the NOAA actually issued a statement regarding the non-existence of mermaids, saying that there is no definitive evidence of their existence. Just centuries of stories.

Do I think they exist? I don't know. I'm not an oceanographer, nor a historian. But my belief (and since this is my blog, I can write about those anytime I want) is that we haven't discovered EVERYTHING about this world of ours. New scientific discoveries are coming to light every day. Things we once thought completely and utterly impossible are commonplace now, and we are constantly learning more and more about our planet.

The ocean is vast. VAST. We can't even begin to search its deepest reaches, all of its darkened places. Considering that we only just discovered two new species of whales in the last decade (yes, whales...giant marine creatures), could it be possible that a race of mermaids might be out there somewhere, intelligent enough or possessed of peculiar abilities that allow them to evade discovery for so long? Hmmmmm. Even a slim chance is still a chance.

I've always believed in possibilities. I like to think that magic is out there...life is far too amazing, too astonishing at times, to be completely mundane. I wonder if the day will come when suddenly some scientist says, 'Holy crap, the Faerie really do exist!' I'd like to see that day, I really would. And if I should ever stumble across a mermaid, faerie, or elf, I'll count myself extremely, crazily fortunate.

By the way, I saw that I had 3 page views yesterday. Who reads my nonsense?? I'm quite curious, so if you're reading my blog, drop me a line or a comment or something. I mean...you don't HAVE to...but I'd like to say thanks for reading my rantings. I kind of appreciate it.