An honest confession – I probably complain too much. To some that may come as a wild shock – utterly unbelievable. To others (likely a larger crowd), you could remove the word “probably” from the first sentence for improved accuracy.

I love my 8-month-old son more and more each day, and I’m elated with our new home, but I’m sure that those around me were aware of the fact that I spent much of 2013 stressed.

Whether it’s a list of unexpected fix it projects, the high pitch of a baby’s cry, or a life dominated by someone else’s feeding patterns and bodily functions, it seems there’s never a shortage of complaint fodder.

It is easy to become self-absorbed. It’s easy to look at whatever’s annoying you, distracting you, or flat out pissing you off, and wish it would go away. I do it all the time.

It’s a little more challenging to look at those things and realize that maybe it’s you. It may simply be that your perspective needs changing. Nothing reinforces this theory like the smile or laugh from an 8-month-old child.  That smile or laugh can quickly negate the air raid siren pitch of the “I’m hungry” cry, and make things right in the world again.

Whether you’re a new parent or not, you probably have those moments, too. It’s easy to take what’s right with this world and find the reasons that something drives you nuts. How about the phrase “first world problem?” Anything that would fall under that category is probably a good start. These are all great things to gain perspective on before the upcoming holiday.

Before we throw the tent in the car and go on an urban camping trip for the latest and greatest technology, maybe we ought to stop and appreciate the people that we’re buying it for.

Call me crazy. Call me un-American. I prefer celebrating my holidays in the order they appear on the calendar. So here’s my public service announcement:

How To Celebrate Thanksgiving

• Step 1) Eat Turkey (required)
• Step 2) Watch Parade (optional)
• Step 3) Watch Football (required in our house)
• Step 4) Then go shopping on the next day (Strongly discouraged by me. That discouragement is however ignored by the female members of my family.)

I want to use this upcoming holiday to express my thankfulness for my wife who’s already a great mom, and my 8-month-old son celebrating his first Thanksgiving. I don’t believe it should take a day on the calendar to slow down and appreciate who and what is around you.

But since it’s there, I will acknowledge it before I begin the process of holiday shopping. I also prefer my camping to be done in nature, and the parking lot at Best Buy hardly qualifies. Maybe I’ll work a little harder at seeing the upside to things. I’ll start by not sleeping outside in the frigid November air.