Merry Christmas

The holiday season is here and with that, the constant pressure to come up with resolutions for the start of the new year. One of my resolutions for 2008? To be more faithful at turning in a blog on a regular basis. The last blog of this year will focus on the many things I am thankful for as the year comes to a close. The holidays remind me that I am thankful for the following:
1) The twenty seconds before a big game starts on our campus. The sense of anticipation and the realization that each game is different, that we never really know who will win, helps makes this job fresh each day.
2) The feeling that most days coming to work is like being with friends instead of workers.
3) The fact that I still get goose bumps each time I hear Baba O’Reilly by the Who.
4) Mom’s cooking.
5) Mom.
6) The feeling of accomplishment after a long run on a cold morning. That and the hot shower that follows, which leads to
7) Indoor Plumbing.
8) A glass of sweet tea on a hot August day.
9) Chips and hot sauce on a cold December day.
10) The smell of fresh-cut grass at John J. Hunter field in April.
11) The inspiration of seeing the work-ethic of our student-athletes. I wonder if people really understand how difficult it is to be successful in the classroom and college athletics.
12) The thrill of seeing my favorite sports team on the cover of Sports Illustrated when it arrives in the mailbox.
13) Road Trips for HSU Athletic Events – There have been a few rough adventures over the years; however, there have also been trips where the game lived up to the hype and the fellowship was memorable. I doubt if it would be a good movie, but some of the events could at the very least be humorous enough for a Fox sitcom.
14) Forgiveness.
15) The chance to meet new students in my Student Success class. I wish I had been as on the ball as some of our current freshmen.
16) Finding the movie To Kill a Mockingbird on television .
17) The look on my golden retrievers face when I give her a chew bone.
18) The look on my face when the waitress brings me my steak.
19) Being raised by a father who lived by the simple belief that “it takes just as much time to do a job right as it does to do a job the wrong way.”
20) Seeing a family welcome home a member of our armed forces at the airport.
21) No matter how many disappointments that 2007 might have brought, the belief that 2008 will be better.
22) The Sunday paper (I know it sounds archaic in this age of the internet, but one of my simple pleasures is picking up a printed copy of the Dallas Morning News)
23) Being old school.
24) A two week Christmas vacation.

I hope the hectic season of the holidays will allow you a chance to be thankful for the many wonderful things in your life.

Best wishes for 2008.


John Neese