Have you ever conducted a personal inventory and realized how often you’ve taken what life has given you for granted and determined that it’s both selfish and inappropriate? How can l really even begin to label what I’ve done for so long as work and not give thanks?
So as we pause as a nation this Thursday to show our gratitude, I thought I’d take take a stab at something other than a ton of food and offer just a little perspective in terms of how fortunate I am and touch on a few of the things I’m immensely thankful for.
Through a historical association with both sports television production and the Recorder Media Group I have lived a dream that most individuals who enjoy sports could never begin to imagine.
It’s been a phenomenal run to date and hopefully it will continue to unfold for a Midwesterner who caught the sports bug as a child in a rural area in the late sixties and has ridden that magic carpet to places I could’ve never dreamed.
From the Super Bowl and the Indy 500, to the Kentucky Derby and the NBA Finals, it’s been a smorgasbord of elite events and I have no idea how I’ve been able to be part of it all. Factor in NCAA Final Fours, the Masters, Olympic Games, the Daytona 500 along with Formula One, and it becomes more and more obvious to me everyday as to what I’ve been able to experience and then convey it through the various outlets that I’ve been fortunate enough to work for.
What are the odds that this Jimmy Olsen wannabe could watch the Greatest Spectacle in Racing from high above the track every May and speak to the likes of Mario Andretti and Rick Mears quite regularly?
How about drawing the ire of the late Bob Knight and then being jettisoned out of the arena by him?
Did I mention Bill Polian sicking his goons on me at the RCA Dome for allegedly providing one Peyton Manning’s cadence to the visiting team? This list of interesting experiences goes on and I remain grateful for all of it and then some.
You make a lot of friends along the way when you’re as old as I am and I’ve watched far too many great ones leave this earth prematurely.
I still can’t figure out how iconic people such as Robin Miller, Wilson B. York and David Benner are gone, not to mention George McGinnis and Mel Daniels. I’m so grateful to have met them and miss them all as they truly helped to guide me.
I’m also extremely grateful for those in leadership positions at the Indianapolis Recorder who have tolerated me for ages and given me such opportunities. The late, great William Mays, Shannon Williams, Jack Sales, Robert Shegog and Camike Jones are wonderful individuals and they’ll never know how indebted l am to them for both their tolerance and guidance.
The same goes for all the brilliant copy editors and graphic designers who always make me look good along with Tina Cosby on the radio.
Finally there’s you, the readers of this proud newspaper, and I’m both humbled and appreciative of how you keep me honest and grounded.
Your emails and comments keep me going and I cannot begin to tell you all how grateful I am for that.
As you can see, I have plenty to be thankful for this Thursday and in-between a plethora of food and watching televised sports this Thanksgiving, I’ll reflect on just how fortunate I am everyday and not just on an important holiday designed to offer such thanks. To all of you, thanks for gracing me with your presence and for continuing to watch and read my daily work.
Be kind to one another and good to yourself. I’ll continue to watch for all of you, be it from the cheap seats or sitting right down front on the sidelines. Either way I remain incredibly thankful for it all.
Danny Bridges, who marvels daily in terms of all he has to be grateful for and wishes everyone a great Thanksgiving, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
