HN Explorer

Ask HN: What are you thankful for?

304 points by wallflower ↗ HN
Thanks dang and team for taking care of the HN community!

Many years ago, I stumbled upon HN. I just lurked. Then one day I posted a comment.

I am thankful for HN because many years ago it provided a community for someone who was desperately seeking social interaction during my very boring corporate job workday. It was my water cooler. It still is even though as it has grown in popularity, it is almost like a meme for some people to say 'Don't read HN' because they maybe read one divisive thread once or only read divisive threads and thus see it as a monoculture...

165 comments

[ 5.5 ms ] story [ 214 ms ] thread
askafriend
1. I can go into a grocery store and buy whatever I want without once thinking about the price of something or the total bill. It's an incredible privilege - one that I hadn't really thought about much until recently - but now I can't stop thinking how thankful I am for it.

2. I can go home to my parent's house whenever I want and I'm lucky to have supportive, loving parents and an extended family that openly supports me when I need it. We have our problems, but at the end of the day - I have a place to stay and food to eat even in my darkest moments.

3. A promising career in Silicon Valley and a great manager with whom I share a deep sense of mutual respect and friendship with. I know how rare this is, and because of that - I'm thankful.

A lot of work went into making this happen from a lot of different people over the years...so I'm actually really deeply thankful because this could have played out very differently.

Growing up, my family was lower-middle class, immigrant, and moved around _a lot_ because of instability in finances and my father's job was so uncertain that it could be axed on short notice among other reasons. I was a child for the early parts of the journey so only my parents can speak to the brutal pain of trying to start over in a brand new country that barely accepted them for who they are along with the burden of raising their first child. Not only that, but they started over with few resources - maybe the clothes on their back, a couple hundred bucks in their pocket and a few phone numbers to call if they were really in trouble. They/We did not have it easy by any stretch of the imagination and my parents themselves come from relative poverty where things like access to food, electricity, clean water and education was a real issue. We've come a long way and I'm both proud and thankful for that.

This only scratches the surface of the immigrant experience in America but I think it's highly relevant, especially during Thanksgiving and all the history imbued in the holiday.

hellosputnik
I have a similar story to you. My parents came from Vietnam with nothing, knowing no English, and had to eat from trash at the beginning of their journey. Despite the difficulties and with a lot of help from some generous people, I am now financial secure, have familial support, and have a sense of belongingness/purpose with a great team at work. As the first in my family to graduate college (and even high school), there's really not a day where I don't feel happy and grateful that I am where I am today. It's that thankfulness that allows me to shrug off any bad things that happen.
code_duck
I would suggest adding something to your first one: you can successfully eat whatever you purchase.

I have celiac and serious food allergies, as well as an esophageal disorder. I also can’t digest milk or eggs properly. When I go to the grocery store, I walk around pretty much laughing to myself about how I literally cannot eat almost anything there. For Thanksgiving, I am having plain beef roast in a blender (well, sea salt) and specific potato chips. And cider - I mean, it’s not all bad.

It’s easy to take health for granted, but it’s amazing how much it can screw up your life when one part of your body isn’t working.

ascherj
I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. I am recovering from a similar situation in which my heath was so compromised that I struggled to digest and assimilate practically whatever I ate. I can relate to how alienating and debilitating it can be to have chronic illness consume most of your thinking and how severely it can impact all areas of your life. It is so easy to take our health and bodies for granted. I try imbue every moment with this awareness and cultivate gratitude for everything I have. I hope you're able to find support and strength as you manage your condition.
notyouravgdoge
This post resonated with me.

I'm in my mid-20s and just a few years ago I would memorize grocery prices and track the value of the items I had in my shopping cart. Chicken breast at $2.99 per pound compared to beef flank at $8.99 per pound...I guess I'm eating chicken. Yellow onions for 79 cents each...since the store isn't charging by the pound, I'll dig through the onions and find the largest one.

These days I can spend the occasional $15 on a cocktail or $40 on a meal without thinking twice. I believe growing up in a lower income family gives me a greater appreciation for what I have now. Happy Thanksgiving!

Edit: Most importantly, I'm grateful for my (immigrant) parents' hard work and the sacrifices they made to provide me with the opportunities I have today.

dang
I feel exactly the same way. For most of my life, I had to worry about what food cost and carefully manage what I put in the cart. Now I don't have to, and there is a feeling of amazement about that every time. I don't think I'll ever lose that feeling, and I hope I don't.

In my case the immigrants were grandparents, and what they went through is impossible for me to imagine.

5555624
> 1. I can go into a grocery store and buy whatever I want without once thinking about the price of something or the total bill. It's an incredible privilege - one that I hadn't really thought about much until recently - but now I can't stop thinking how thankful I am for it.

I was thinking about this earlier in the week. I can remember when I couldn't do this. I'd have to keep a running total of what I put in the basket/cart. I was living pay check to pay check. I had debt. Now, with my mortgage as my only debt, things are so much better.

I wish I knew, years ago, what I know now. I'm thankful I've finally figured (some of) it out.

fenwick67
re #1, if you're ever at an ATM, look at the receipts in the trash. You'll see receipts with balances under $20. It's very eye-opening.
huehehue
I used to work for a bankruptcy attorney, you have no idea. Everyone is drowning.

PSA: Evaluate your spending habits and make sure you have an emergency fund.

diegoperini
Today, a random person (actually two people) from some random country saved my career and financial security. I'm thankful for that.
parf02
would be curious to hear more details of this story haha
diegoperini
Edit: I hope you had the chance to see the reason. I'm deleting the explanation to keep cyberstalkers away.
gronne
While im curious about your story im even more curious about why and how it could somehow be abused by cyberstalkers?
diegoperini
HR people can be creepy sometimes. I mentioned some private details about my contacts.
Daido_M
I am thankful for Hacker News. Never before have I come across a community that is as insightful, friendly, and helpful. Thank you, everyone, for making Hacker News the place it is today.
TulliusCicero
Agreed, and they have very strict modding to thank for it. Sometimes I think it's too strict, but you can't argue with the results.
abraae
HN modding is certainly the driving force in maintaining civil discourse on the site.

In my more out there moments I imagine the internet moving more towards this model. Lots of interesting places, owned by deeply involved individuals who enforce courtesy and truth telling. Personally I love to read opinions that are different from mine, as long as the two points above are met.

Cyph0n
I’d like to personally call out u/dang, HN’s omnipresent moderator. Keep up the amazing work!
piinbinary
I didn't realize until recently how much I took clean air for granted, but today I am thankful for it.
avar
That I, unlike most of my biological ancestors, can expect a death that doesn't involve being eaten alive. Better yet, I was born at a time when my species had invented modern dentistry, and I'm able to afford it. Everything else is just gravy.
jf
I’m thankful for an AQI below 50.
tehlike
Little things we come to appreciate when we lose even temporarily.

Happy thanksgiving.

drcongo
Open source.
invalidOrTaken
You know, I thought of this one too, even though it seemed to "HN-y." But it really is something that almost demands gratitude---thousands (probably more like millions) of people have slaved away at making software work (and I know what that can be like), and I get to use the fruits of their labors. It's humbling.
tehlike
This. I did opensource almost a decade ago as a learning exercise. I am thankful for it to have it as a learning platform while giving something back.

I am also thankful for it on the receiving end. The world is so much better because of it

raverbashing
Truly, there is a lot to be thankful in that area. Specially in regards to open source developers
rdiddly
Just asked for a large raise, and while I don't yet know the outcome, I'm thankful that they seem to be taking it seriously.

(Outcome is unknown because email is down. I guess the IT guy seized the opportunity presented by the holiday for some maintenance!)

rhn_mk1
Being brought to existence as a human, an in a prosperous country on top of that.
clubm8
Wikipedia. So often I get curious about something and it's documented in detail, with hyperlinks to related concepts. What would have taken an afternoon at the library in the 90s I can get in a 20 minute Wikpedia binge.
purplezooey
Separation of church and state.
craftyguy
Out of curiosity, which country are you from where this is followed?
nemo1618
I'm thankful for my parents. Growing up, I thought that my parents were needlessly strict and uncool and that all my friends had it better than me. Only once I was old enough to look at other parents from an adult perspective did I realize how...well, competent my own parents had been, compared to most. Turns out there are a lot of ways to screw up parenting. Many of my friends' parents divorced, others just quietly resented each other; some were too permissive, others were "helicopters;" some were too distant, others tried to be their kid's best friend; and of course, some were outright abusive. The older I get, the clearer it is to me that these parents were just "older teenagers," not true adults. In that regard, my parents really had their shit together (and still do), and I benefited from that enormously. Thanks mom and dad.
martinot56
Did you get to tell them that?
nemo1618
I have expressed it to them a few times now, yes. :)
[dead] ctlby
I'm thankful that I don't live in a fascist state (I live in the US).
dang
Let's not make this, of all threads, into a political flamewar.
rcar1046
My dog and best friend Merlin.
ryanmercer
That I get off work in 10 minutes and can go home and have whatever leftovers exist after working my 13th Thanksgiving in a row for shit pay.
avip
Thank the fridge for holding the leftovers for you in an edible state.
waterhouse
Last Sunday, I dropped my wallet on the ground. By Monday, I was starting to look into cancelling credit and debit cards, and what I'd do without a driver's license... and then it turned out a "Mr. Diaz" who drives a garbage truck found it, called the numbers he saw in it, and established contact with me. I got it back in time for work; nothing was missing, and he refused to even take money when I offered it to him.

It's a very nice data point.

nly
I'm thankful that the hard times I went through in my personal life from mid-2017 until mid-2018. Now, in a new relationship, new job, in a new city, with the same family, same friends, same interests, same HN. I'm nowhere where I thought I'd be, yet i'm happy, and it's a reminder that life can turn on a dime.
JoshCalbet
I'm thankful for every piece of code that has run in my computer. I'm grateful for all of you guys for helpful advice and fruitful discussions. Thanks for keep this flame burning with hope!
ronreiter
I am thankful for being happy and healthy.
steven2012
I'm thankful that I love programming even after 2 decades, and that I'm very well paid for it. And I still come into work every day and love the challenges. There was a time where I was burnt out and needed to take a year off, but thankfully since then I've been able to center myself and my expectations and I've been thankful every day since.
rak00n
What did you do in that year off?

I'm feeling like I'm pretty close to a burn out and I'm not sure how to deal with it.

g5095
Jesus
jlbang
This is the most under-voted answer.
yesbabyyes
Coming on two years ago, I celebrated New Years Eve in the amazingly beautiful beach town of Robertsport, Liberia. I never used to do those vows, but at this time I decided I wanted to be more grateful. So I vowed to be more grateful. This English bloke was there with me, and he reminded me that if I just vowed it like that, I would soon forget it. I had to somehow make it my habit.

So I decided every morning when I put on my necklace I would remind myself to be grateful for something this day. And I have, every single day! Usually, I will be grateful that I am healthy, that I have a wife who cares about, and for, me, family members, some good friends, a job and good food every day.

Today, I am grateful to George, the Englishman, who helped me start this habit. It is very good to be grateful.