Seven reasons to be grateful

2. I am grateful for my wife and to my wife. We've been together for more than four decades. Our story, which has made me grateful for decades, began when I came to her class in the fall after a year spent as an exchange student. During recess, she and two friends were sitting on a bench in the schoolyard. Because I didn't know anyone, I went to talk to them. She was wearing bumps that came off easily, and I picked one of them up as it dangled from the tips of her toes. When I placed the shoe back on her foot, one of her friends noted that it was straight out of Cinderella.

My wife is the reason behind the basic idea of this tale: look at the positives and see the good in the world and in your life. She’s not being naive about it. I admit that all too often I moan and groan about the world news or comment, in a fairly bad-tempered tone, on the pointless bickering about inconsequential matters taking place in our country. We are both quite happy to turn our stays at our summer cottage into something of a labor camp, and we can always find something pleasant that needs doing in the garden at home. In our shared story, perhaps the single most important reason
to feel grateful to my wife is our three amazing daughters. Now that they have flown the nest, we have two “piggies” to take care of, our Golden Retrievers Mauno and Nana.

3. I am grateful for my children and to them. Having children was not easy or a given. Before the first successful pregnancy, it seemed that we might need some assistance from medical sciences. It was a stressful time. Then, unexpectedly and to our delight, the test showed two blue lines. While watching my children grow and develop their own, different personalities, I have been able to walk alongside them and even support them in their growth. I have seen them make choices that I would not have dared or been able to make myself. A very special memory of the girls is their game of “ready, steady, go” at the cottage with our Bernese Mountain Dog, Sohvi. It would end in the four of them running as fast as they could straight into the lake, splashing around in the shallow water. This game left such a deep impression on Sohvi that when she got older and was sometimes unwilling to go for her walk, all we had to say was those three magic words to get her moving. Our daughters travelled with us in Europe when they were young. After growing up, they have travelled boldly on other continents and in other countries. I am also grateful that they have chosen their own educational and professional paths, found partners and learned to trust themselves. And I am grateful to see how well they get on and for the good relationships in our family.

I think it's great that I've become a grandfather. And not just once. Being a grandpa to a little boy and his younger sister is a great joy. My father received praise for the way he was a grandfather to our children. Now it’s my turn to carry out that task. Browsing bird books, building Lego towers and knocking them over, doing puzzles, playing with toy cars and dolls, feeding, bedtime bathing, changing
diapers, witnessing hijinks by little children, occasionally succumbing to their little manipulations, receiving hugs upon arrival and leaving and in-between... All of that is great and not something to take for granted. So much of it is new and yet familiar. And do I dare add to the list of reasons to be grateful that after a welcome and always pleasant visit and sleepover, the little ones can be handed back to their parents to look after?

5. I am grateful to Finland and the people who manage and decide the affairs of our country, and the people who live here and help build our country. It is good to have a calm spot in the midst of the world's storms, where things usually work. For me, Finland is a positive example of Nordic societies’ ability to combine market economy with societal support for their members. It is clear that we are now in a situation where, on the one hand, the national purse strings must be tightened and, on the other hand, we need to become more industrious, effective and innovative as a nation and as individuals. This country and its people are not perfect, but they are the best for me.

6 I am grateful for my career path. I believe that I have succeeded in being of benefit to employers and other stakeholders in many different tasks. I am particularly grateful for the opportunities to learn and develop, work with great colleagues and earn a living that working life has offered me. Now, that I have taken partial early retirement and offer consultancy services, I hope that the experience I have accumulated during the times of rapid growth and periods of turmoil in different companies will be in demand for a long time. I always learn something new when performing these assignments.

7. I have a serious illness. Luckily, it was discovered before it was too late. I am grateful to the private and public operators that have taken care of me, to the professionals there and the expert care I have received from them. It makes it possible for me to complete my Christmas tale project and create a collection of 24 stories by 2038. I do it with pleasure and without complaint. I just pretend that it is hard.