SOUNDTRACK: “Lucky Old Sun” by John Stewart >

A few nights ago I was watching the BBC series Planet Earth, marveling at the number of amazing animal species there are that I had never heard of, when it occurred to me how improbable it was that I was born a human being at all. That got me thinking of how miraculously lucky a person I am, a topic I am reminded of on a daily basis but rarely consider in detail. Here, then, are the most important ways that I recognize the almost unfathomable luck that Jason Whitfield Gurley has been granted. It is not a short list.

· I am a human being on planet earth. While it is impossible to know what options the rest of the universe offers (though it almost certainly contains many orders of magnitude more options than what we can observe here), on earth we have many millions of species to end up as. That I happened to land in the dominant and only fully sentient species is, well, like winning the lottery.

· I live in an easy time. Relatively speaking, of course; I believe life is hard in one way or another for nearly every person. But when compared with eras past, we who are currently living have it pretty sweet. No world wars, no plagues, no holocausts, no civilization-wide militant oppression (knock on wood to all of these). Between societal evolution and lifestyle-enhancing technology, we lead a fairly cushy life that would probably make our forefathers feel at the same time disgusted and proud.

· I am a man in a (still) male-biased world. While this isn’t a state that I endorse or am proud of, it is a fact of life; as a man, I am afforded a number of positive biases from both men and women. While I believe the intrinsic differences between the sexes will always perpetuate certain biases toward and against each of them, I hope and strongly believe that the actual balance of power will ultimately level off.

· I am white. My feelings regarding this are essentially identical to the previous point. I don’t believe it is fair to get a benefit from the color of my skin, yet I receive that benefit all the same.

· I grew up and live in (arguably) the freest, most powerful, most advanced country in the world. Granted, all of those superlatives are suspect these days, but let’s be honest – growing up in America is to grow up in the rich neighborhood of the global community. I am well aware of how easy this society has it (as well as the cost that our ease imposes on the rest of the planet).

· I have always had food, shelter and clothing. I certainly wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth (I’m thankful for that, too, by the way), but my parents were always able, even as working musicians, to own a home and provide a perfectly comfortable living environment in which to grow up, a luxury that a great number of the world’s population do not enjoy.

· I have talent and intelligence. The former gift is especially relevant for me – I have been blessed with a number of artistic abilities, all of which empower me to express myself to my heart’s content. Equally important are my intellectual gifts, for which I can thank my ancestors.

· I am young. Again, relatively speaking, and of course this gift will expire in the not so distant future. But I think it’s important to acknowledge that while I’m not exactly a spry young tike anymore, I also have many years of very active, fully enabled living (knock wood again) before my options begin to dwindle.

· I am able to live in the most accepting and arguably most diverse city on this continent. For reasons known to anyone who has surveyed the San Francisco real estate market, this point will not always be true. But for nearly nine years now I have enjoyed the limitless freedom of expression and rich cultural diversity championed by the SF Bay area. It is truly a miraculous place to call home.

· I grew up in and remain surrounded by the most loving family I have ever known. This gift may trump the rest of the list, and it is actually many gifts wrapped into one category. My entire life has been supported by two loving, utterly accepting parents who are still married after almost forty years, and by the sweetest, most fun kid sister anyone could ever wish for. As if that weren’t enough, I have been and continue to be loved by a great number of beautiful, amazing aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents (all four of which I knew very well). They are an immeasurably wonderful bunch of people, and I do not take them for granted.

· I have a great number of amazing friends, ranging from a tightly-knit group of high school cohorts who feel more like siblings than buddies, to a wide net of dynamic, heart-connected people throughout the SF Bay area. It’s hard to keep in touch with them all, but I enjoy the challenge.

· I have no debilitating injuries, a lucky physique and excellent health besides. While joint and other problems are a regular nuisance, for the most part I have a healthy, fairly athletic body. Even though I’ve been a vegetarian for half of my life, I would never characterize myself as a health nut, and I think that a great number of people with the same diet as mine wouldn’t metabolize it as easily. Again, far more of a gift than an achievement.

· To date, I have known very few tragedies in this life. Save for a few family members (most of them elderly) and one dear friend, I have been the victim of less death than I believe is the norm. Nearly everyone I have ever loved is still going strong, a rare blessing indeed.

· I have known love. I have loved and been loved, and share a deep, intimate, fulfilling connection someone who loves me dearly.

To a large degree, my life seems to be a practice in appreciating and making powerful use of the many gifts I have been given. I fall far short of fully embodying that goal, but I also acknowledge that this is part of the human condition. Perhaps the best that we can hope for is to keep moving forward, to always feel like we’re better off in this moment than we were in the last. In this moment, I am.

:: whit