With Turkey Day around the corner, I always think of my family's time-honored tradition of saying what we are each most thankful for as we sit around the dinner table. Both my brother and my uncle put up an annual resistance to this ritual, and when they give in, they give answers such as, "I'm thankful I'm not dead," or, "I'm thankful for chips and salsa." Both of those are direct quotes.
Well this year I thought of something we can all be thankful for: the Cleveland Browns.
I heard a clever little quote about the Browns other day: "The Browns are like children. You don't love them because they're good. You love them because they're yours."
We as a human race seem to have an issue with gratitude. We're all underappreciated, we're all overworked. Saying thank you for just a little bit goes a long way -- something that we Clevelanders understand. We have to love the Browns for what they do, not what we wish they were doing. We as a city thank them for being there for us, just as we are there for them.
Thankfulness is not just for Thanksgiving or the Browns, though. It's for everyone. Therefore, by association, the Browns are for everyone. They shouldn't be taunted or joked about; they should be commended for their role modeling for all of humanity.
So what if we don't win every time? So what if we aren't the best at everything we try? We don't have to be -- we're imperfect. But when we do try to do something, we should be thanked, and we should thank others. Saying "bless you" has become automatic. Should "thank you" be that far behind?
Thank you Cleveland Browns for teaching us that we don't have to be perfect, but we still deserve respect and gratitude.
It's understandable how one could not recognize the greatness of the Browns, especially if you've been raised in a culture that doesn't show appreciation for one of the most colorful teams in the NFL. We define color; we are a color. Being a Browns fan isn't something you can just fall into. You have to commit yourself to a life of knowing that most of the time you will lose bets on your team and that sometimes your team might pick up and move to Baltimore for a while, but the color and the Dog Pound will be reborn.
The first step to acceptance: knowing that sincere gratitude is a quality vital for good relationships and a good life. Even if you don't complete the process and become a true Browns fan, or even if you don't start respecting Cleveland, this lesson will help you.
Why is something as simple as "thank you" sometimes so difficult? Why do the Browns not always win? Because sometimes things don't go the right way and you forget about the people who helped you. Sometimes we focus too much on ourselves and not on humanity as a team -- a team in orange, brown and white.
My family will sit around our table again this year, and since my mother makes sure everyone she knows reads this, hopefully a couple of them will reflect on how well-off we really are and how easy it should be to voice our gratitude once a year on a holiday created to celebrate thankfulness. Or maybe my little brother is just the type of guy who really likes chips and salsa.
Regardless, our gratitude for each other should be on display at all times. My father, like most fathers, sometimes forgets to thank my mother for the millions of things she does for him. He does remember to thank her for baking apple pies, however. So much so that earlier this fall, when my mother came down to visit the University for a bit, he sent me a postcard to tell me that, "Joe and I are fine. Joe is fine. I am fine. Provisions are running low. Ate the last of the apple pie." My mother will always know how much he appreciates that pie, and she will gladly make it.
This shows how gratitude can make life easier for all parties. If saying thank you gets you what you want, what's there to think about?
But even if you don't get your apple pie or Super Bowl ring, saying thank you is not something that should be restricted to Thanksgiving. It's wonderful to hear any type of thank you at any time. Trust me, I get giddy and try to act all cool like people appreciate me all the time. The more thank you's, the better we all feel.
So here's my public thank you, to anyone who's given me a ride or bought me a drink, taken care of me when I wasn't feeling well or made me laugh. I really do appreciate it.
And I appreciate the Cleveland Browns for showing the world that you have to be thankful of whatever you have, not just when things are going your way. I'll be wearing my orange and brown until death do us part ... the point when I will finally no longer be able to be thankful I'm not dead.
Clare Ondrey is a Cavalier Daily columnist
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