What I am Particularly Thankful For

There is a Russian joke which goes like this: A poor guy prays to God and asks to help him for he is living with a wife and 5 kids, and a paralyzed Mother-in-law in a 1-room tiny house. God tells him to get a goat. The guy is surprised, but doesn't dare to ignore the divine advice. He gets a goat, and a year later, asks God again for deliverance of his impossible circumstances: he lives with his wife, 5 kids, a paralyzed Mother-in-law and a goat in a tiny 1-room house. God tells him to sell the goat. The guy does it, and the next day praises the Lord: "Thank you, God! Life is great!"

As we celebrated Thanksgiving, I am sure we all gave thanks for still being around, for friends, family, good health, good fortunes, a roof over our heads, the food on our tables, etc. For a number of years Thanksgiving has had a special significance for me. Here is my personal Thanksgiving story.

Five years ago on a Thanksgiving Day, members of my extended family numbering 30+ people made a trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon staying in its only "hotel" (a dorm, really) "Phantom Ranch." The trip was organized 2 years prior to its inception because beds at the "Phantom Ranch" can be booked two years in advance, and are gone within minutes of becoming available for this time of the year. When we were asked whether we wanted to participate in this special family adventure, we enthusiastically agreed for it seemed like a great trip some time in the distant future which might never come. But it did come, and we had to go. Anyway, the trip down (1 vertical mile) took 5 hours. By the time we got to the bottom, I had a pretty bad premonition about what was expecting us on the way out tomorrow.

When we got to the Ranch, it turned out that a dead tourist was evacuated from Colorado River at that particular spot earlier that day - the guy fell over from his raft into the river, and as I soon learned from a documentary book appropriately named "Death in the Canyon," people die not from drowning, but from hypothermia if they are not pulled out of the frigid water within minutes. I was too tired to empathize with the unfortunate soul. All that occupied my mind at that point was that there WAS a way out by a helicopter. I inquired around to see what it would take to get evacuated from the stupid ranch short of dying for it. I was told it cost about $5,000. That seemed like a great deal! Alas, one also had to have a life threatening injury. I briefly considered breaking my arm or a leg, but I was too ashamed to desert and leave my 9-year-old son make his way out of the Canyon.

The next day was pure and undiluted hell. You really do not care in the least about the spectacular views which open up in front of your eyes for the duration of the trip. At some point all I could think about was that if I stop, I won't be able to start going again. It was like doing lunges for 8 hours straight, with a back pack, too.

So-o-o-o... This brings me to the point of the today's post. Every Thanksgiving I am particularly thankful for the fact that I am celebrating this holiday not at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.