Every year in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, I get thinking about all that I am grateful for.  This year is no different.  I know, I know.  It’s 2020.  What is there to be thankful for this year? 

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am a grateful person. I tend to put my energy towards positive things, and I think being grateful is one of them. It works for me. And studies are starting to show that it works for most. Even people who seek counseling for mental issues. Regularly listing the things you are grateful for, writing thank you letters, or writing in a gratitude journal is becoming more and more common these days. And it’s working.

‘Much of our time and energy is spent pursuing things we currently don’t have. Gratitude reverses our priorities to help us appreciate the people and the things we do have.’ * – Joshua Brown, Joel Long

The idea here is that if we spend more time thinking about things we are grateful for, we’ll spend less time on negative thoughts, thereby improving our general outlook on life. Makes sense. It’s a practice though. It takes time to reverse your way of thinking. But over time you get better at looking for the good, or the silver lining as it were, eventually changing your way of thinking to a much more positive thought process.

So, let’s give it a whirl. Let’s be positive in this pandemic year that’s been fraught with problems for everyone. Here’s my list of things we, as Buffalonians, can be thankful for.

Number Five – Location, Location, Location

I know I’ve said this before and I’m probably sounding like a broken record at this point, but I can’t leave this off the list! We take it for granted, but not that many people can walk out their doors and see what we have the ability to see within just a few minutes. Okay, twenty. Haha. We’re the twenty minute city, remember? We can get just about anywhere we need to go within a twenty minute drive. But really, it would probably take less than that for any of us to get to some sort of water in Buffalo and the surrounding areas. It doesn’t have to be Lake Erie, or the Niagara River. There are a lot of other smaller lakes, creeks etc. to see.

And the views are spectacular!

Being near the water, even in winter (bundle up!), calms us. It’s been studied over and over again. If you haven’t taken the time to go and be near the water in or around Buffalo, whether it be Lake Erie or Ontario, the Buffalo River, the Niagara River or any one of our smaller lakes, streams, or creeks, please make the time to go. You don’t even need to get out of your car and make it an active thing. Just spend time there. Look at it. And breathe. I think you’ll agree, it’s something to be grateful for.

Number Four – Our Parks & Parkways

I’ve talked about our parkways quite a bit in my posts. Great urban hiking spots! And I did write a post about Delaware Park quite a while ago. Our parks are magnificent! They really are! And there are more than our Olmsted Parks, not that we would need more, because the Olmsted Parks are enviable to be sure!

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They are Delaware Park, MLK Park, Front Park, Riverside Park, Cazenovia Park and South Park. All amazing in their own way! If you get to any of these on a regular basis, then you know that they are all something to be grateful for! And they’re something that we do tend to take for granted. They’re just always there.

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But imagine Buffalo without them. If those city leaders back in the day had passed on building a park and parkway system, we’d have just the one park. Probably Delaware Park. And while it’s pretty spectacular, I like it that there are more than one. It gives more of us the chance to get to them regularly.

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And the parkways! How glorious to have these to walk through in all four seasons! They are beautiful. It’s as simple as that! I am grateful for our parks and parkway system.

Number Three – Architecture

Seriously, our architecture is second to none! Okay, maybe not the best in the world, but Buffalo has truly become an architecture destination! We’ve got examples of the best and the brightest architects in the country. H.H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Minoru Yamasaki. We’ve even got an incredible hotel designed by the first woman architect in the country, Louise Blanchard Bethune! She was a Buffalonian!

Take a look at these.

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We’ve also got incredible homes! We’ve got numerous examples of incredible architects who designed some pretty amazing homes here in the Queen City! Frank Lloyd Wright, Green & Wicks, Essenwein & Johnson, and more! Take a look at some of them.

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I am grateful to have all the beautiful architecture that we regularly enjoy here in Buffalo! Without all that to look at on my urban hikes, what would I do with my time?

Number Two – Food

Yes, food. Buffalonians know how good the food is here. We’ve always known. Just ask our ex-pats. When people leave Buffalo, they miss the food! And the world is taking notice! Not for the first time, (2015 was the first) Buffalo was put on National Geographics list of best city’s to eat in, specifically for our chicken wings. We are ranked third in the world. As a side note, the second place city, Chennai, India, was named for it’s equivalent of the Buffalo wing! In my opinion, that means we get the number two spot as well! Ha!

But we are much, much more than chicken wings. We have amazing ethnic food as well. About a year ago, I toured some people from Indianapolis around Buffalo and one of them was from the Dominican Republic. They asked if they could find authentic Dominican food in Buffalo. I did a quick google search, and found La Casa de Sabores, on Letchworth Street over on the West Side. They went after the tour and texted me later to tell me that it was some of the most authentic Dominican food they’ve eaten in the country! Not surprised.

Buffalo has to be on some list somewhere, for authentic ethnic food. We’ve got the West Side Bazaar, the Broadway Market and many Mom & Pop restaurants serving up authentic food from all over the world! Greek, Soul Food, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Ethiopian, Chinese, Polish, Italian, French. The list goes on and on.

And we are not just all about the meat anymore either! Several vegan and plant-based restaurants have opened up in the past few years, and they are thriving! Even meat eaters go there, because the creative chefs are killing it!

And our pizza? Forget about it! Buffalo’s pizza is the best! I’ve had pizza all over this country, and none can even compare to Buffalo pizza. The pepperoni cups…just sayin.

Let’s suffice it to say that that the variety of amazing food available in Buffalo is truly something to be grateful for!

And…Number One – the People!

The number one reason to be thankful in Buffalo, in 2020, is….drumroll please! (Picture Clark Griswold on the front lawn about to plug in the Christmas lights!)

Us! Yep! That’s right. Us.

We were voted America’s Friendliest City by Travel & Leisure Magazine in 2018. Why? Because we smile at each other and say “hello” when passing on the street. It’s sound hokey, but it’s true. I can attest to it. I always say hello, every time I pass someone. Here in Buffalo, most smile and say hello back. Not all, but most. Some even strike up a conversation. Some of those conversations result in making friends. I am not kidding. To me, that’s a small-town, friendly kind of thing. But that’s Buffalo. Friendly.

But we are also resilient. Strong. Tough. We are loyal, steadfast and true. To the end.

Just look at our history. (You know I couldn’t do a post without history!) The village of Buffalo was burned to the ground in 1813 and only four structures survived. The people rebuilt. We came back stronger than ever, and grew to be the eighth largest city in the country by 1900.

We suffered after World War II. Businesses left the area. We became a major part of the Rust Belt cities who lost their steel industries, which were major employers here in Buffalo.

But the people. Brilliant, innovative, inventive, creative, steadfast people stayed and helped see us through the tough times. Buffalo is now emerging stronger and more community-minded than ever. Because of the people. Us. And that’s right, we say ‘hello’ to each other on the streets.

For us, I am grateful!

My Impressions

Whether it be massive job losses, a crippling blizzard, or the Covid-19 pandemic, the people of Buffalo support each other. That’s what we do, when someone in Buffalo needs something, we step up and take care of them. And we will prevail this time too, throughout the Covid crisis. Because of us. The people of Buffalo.

Look, we have so much to be thankful for, living here in Buffalo. So much more than I have mentioned here. The arts. Our galleries. Our theaters. Outdoor concerts. The Bills. The Sabres. The list could go on and on.

But the only thing that really matters is people. Human beings helping each other to thrive. That’s what really matters in the end. Like in 1813, if we lost everything tomorrow, we, in Buffalo would rebuild. And come back better than ever. We are Buffalo strong. We got this.

That’s what I am grateful for in Buffalo, in 2020.

• “How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain“: Greater Good Magazine, greatergood.berkeley.edu