Birthday gifts

It's my birthday today. Now, I'm not usually one of those people who gets all introspective about the state of my life and where it's going on birthdays. But this year those thoughts have been creeping up on me. After all, I've got no job, no house, no wife, no kids, a waning bank account and no Pulitzer Prizes. It's not exactly what I had imagined for myself at age 28.

But whenever I find myself obsessing about the things I don't have, I think it's important to take stock of all that I do have. That being the case, here's a birthday list of some of the things I'm thankful for:

1. My health — This may seem odd coming from a quadruple amputee, but I've got it pretty good right now. I haven't had a surgery or sores on my feet in more than a year and I haven't had a serious infection in more than two years. I'm healthy enough to do about 99 percent of the things I want to do on any given day, and that's a blessing.

2. My family — Moving back in with your parents is not a dream for most 28-year-olds, but having parents like mine actually makes it pretty painless. Taken as a whole, our family certainly has its differences (so much so that I sometimes marvel at the fact that we share genetic material). But we all still support each other, we all still get together most holidays and we all still talk to each other (most of the time).

3. My friends — All across the country (and in a few points overseas) I've got people I care about and love to talk to and hang out with. Some of them I've known since kindergarten. I can comfortably be my smart-ass, slightly obnoxious self around them and they don't even mind. In fact, they kind of seem to like it.

4. My country — I'm certainly not a "My country, right or wrong" type, but I do feel lucky to have been born in America. I love the fact that my country values both personal freedom and communal responsibility.

5. The world's natural beauty — I've seen the Swiss Alps and the Rocky Mountains, the green hills of Tuscany and the impossibly blue seas of the French Riviera. I've camped in the peaceful woods of my home state and I've stood at a high point in Rio de Janeiro and looked out on the Atlantic Ocean, miles of white beaches, a modern city skyline and a rain forest all at the same time. I've got a lot of unforgettable vistas in my memory banks and, best of all, there's still so many more out there for me to see.

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but I didn't want to get too specific. I was trying to be somewhat universal. It's easy for all of us to take things for granted at times and focus on the things we don't have and think we deserve. Look at the list above. If you're a healthy American who has a supportive family and a group of fun friends and has gotten to enjoy some of the world's natural wonders, then I'd say you've got a pretty good life. I know I do.