{"id":1275,"date":"2010-12-19T22:48:24","date_gmt":"2010-12-20T03:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2010-12-19T22:48:24","modified_gmt":"2010-12-20T03:48:24","slug":"this-exact-moment-giving-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2010\/12\/19\/this-exact-moment-giving-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2605 This Exact Moment&#8230;giving thanks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:13937,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329978&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251106035601\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329978&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329978&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-30 19:57:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-12-30 19:57:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:13938,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5275723595&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20190111180312\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5275723595\\\/&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-06 03:38:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-06 03:38:47&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:13939,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329552&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251106035616\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329552&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276329552&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:13940,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276330446&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20251106035653\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276330446&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/5276330446&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Eating Alone in The Dark by adamjackson1984, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/5276329978\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Eating Alone in The Dark\"  width=\"640\"  height=\"480\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5249\/5276329978_414c876ebc_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>My Father taught me quite a bit at a young age. One of the most important things was no matter what was in your pantry, there is a potential meal. Today, my fancy dishes and dinner parties don\u2019t impress Dad very much. He\u2019s happy I\u2019m making friends and happy that I\u2019m cooking quality foods at home but he\u2019s not happy about what \u201crich\u201d foods are doing to my gut. Sure, I don\u2019t have any of those preservatives or high saturated fat foods but my sodium intake is higher than it should be as every recipe calls for salt.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, Dad taught more of the basics which, above all, help you in survival and not in entertaining. A friend texted me tonight after hearing my power was out and that my previous plans of roasted lemon zest chicken breast with wild rice pilaf and brussel sprouts were not gonna happen and he asked, \u201cuh-oh, looks like you need to hit McDonalds\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nope.<\/p>\n<p>I fired up the Mag-Lite and lit my candles. The living room and kitchen are fully illuminated with the scent of vanilla candles and \u00a0I make my way to the pantry knowing that anything in the fridge is off limits because, you don\u2019t open a fridge when the power is out as it makes cold air escape (that\u2019s a pro-tip for you kids out there).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Eating Alone in The Dark by adamjackson1984, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/5275723595\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Eating Alone in The Dark\"  width=\"640\"  height=\"480\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5087\/5275723595_09b63a50dc_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the pantry, my possibilities were limitless! I stared at cans of veggies and cans of meat and sauces and spices and my mind began turning in preparation for my first \u201cpower outage meal\u201d since I lived with Dad in Florida experiencing year after year of hurricanes. I grabbed two cans of albacore tuna, a vegetarian style baked beans, a bag of tortilla chips and a can of salsa.<\/p>\n<p>The tuna was drained and spiced with cayenne pepper, a dash of soy sauce, a few sprinkles of black pepper and mixed in was a dab of mayo previously unopened in the pantry. The final touch was some sweet BBQ sauce for flavoring.<\/p>\n<p>The beans are, in my opinion, best served cold with a slight bit of mustard mixed in and a dash of pepper. I opened the can of salsa and the bag of chips. Since my well water from the tap tastes bad, I use a Brita pitcher but, that was locked away in the fridge so, what does any man do when water is undrinkable and access to juice is cut off? You have a couple of options. Canned soda (I do have a few Pepsis stored away), bottled water (nope, none of that) or alcohol. So, I opened a bottle of cabernet and bon app\u00e9tit. Also a tip is that no matter how many electrical things you keep at home, make sure you have old fashioned manual can openers, wine openers and even a propane single burner stove just in case. Boiling water is HUGE when you\u2019re out in the middle of nowhere without power.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Eating Alone in The Dark by adamjackson1984, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/5276329552\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Eating Alone in The Dark\"  width=\"640\"  height=\"480\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5169\/5276329552_745e59795b_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s remarkable about this meal is it\u2019s actually far healthier than most of my dinners. Dad\u2019s point was that we\u2019re not broke but tuna and ramen each day for lunch &amp; dinner with a protein shake in the morning is a perfect diet for a growing boy doing 2 a days at the gym. Pair that with steamed veggies, multi-vitamins and 10 glasses of water and you\u2019re a well tuned machine.<\/p>\n<p>The tuna helps rebuild the muscle tissue broken down today during snowboarding and the baked beans assist with this as well while providing other nutrients. The red wine has its benefits. The chips &amp; salsa are certainly debatable. Sodium and corn with tomato paste isn\u2019t really a huge help but I did need a side.<\/p>\n<p>I just finished dinner and I\u2019m full and also content. It brings me to my next point. This night turned out absolutely perfect. I got home for a few moments of disappointment that I was going to be without power but, after lighting candles, closing my eyes realizing that there isn\u2019t a single sound in or out of my house aside from a grumbling stomach, it was a calming moment. Living out in the woods means the sounds of the city are over 100 miles away and the lights of the city are much further. The only sound is a car passing once an hour. Yes, you could play an entire street hockey game here before a car passed.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m taken back to those times in high school when, instead of going to spring break in Daytona (a 30 mile drive away) or partying with friends or going to the beach and being social, I took times to reset myself. I\u2019d pack up the car, pack some food and venture out into the woods for a long hike. Once, my food was stolen by a raccoon and I went hungry for 3 days. Once, I got completely lost and it took an extra day to find my way back to the camp. Through it all, I was by myself, living on my own and away from cell service, distractions, computers, music and all I could hear was rustling leaves and nearby animals. These technology free weeks really changed my life, and tonight, while sitting here in my home after finishing this meals, the candles lighting the room and only one bar of cell phone reception, I am alone and it\u2019s quiet and honest and real and I\u2019m left to my thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026and my thoughts are full of joy and happiness.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Eating Alone in The Dark by adamjackson1984, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/5276330446\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  class=\"aligncenter pk-lazyload\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Eating Alone in The Dark\"  width=\"640\"  height=\"480\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5285\/5276330446_46e2fb5e87_z.jpg\" ><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My Father taught me quite a bit at a young age. One of the most important things was&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-motivational","7":"cs-entry","8":"cs-video-wrap"},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-kz","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":900,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2010\/06\/18\/an-explanation-of-my-radical-life-changes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":0},"title":"\u2605 An Explanation of My Radical Life Changes","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"June 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"On August 26th, I'll be 24 years old. I'm no longer \"newly able to drink\" just as when I turned 21, I was no longer, \"finally able to vote.\" Most of the modern milestones related to age are in the past and I'm now an adult. I've managed adulthood pretty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Motivational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Motivational","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/motivational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":682,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/12\/08\/accomplishments-versus-life-expectancy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":1},"title":"\u2605 Accomplishments versus Life Expectancy","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"December 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Side Note: As with all of my blog posts, they\u2019re written by a guy who is writing based on his experiences. This is why most advice and teachings are bullshit anyway because fact is still one guy\u2019s idea and is long as enough people believe him, it becomes \u201ctruth\u201d (think\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Motivational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Motivational","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/motivational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taken January 2007 at Macworld (Photo: Chuck of MacVoices)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.static.flickr.com\/154\/358939029_327a7cd5cf.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6468,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2016\/11\/24\/travel-amp-hardcore-gym-in-st-augustine-fl-2016-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":2},"title":"Travel: Amp Hardcore Gym in St. Augustine, FL (2016 Update)","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"18 months ago, I visited my dad\u2019s new gym which will be celebrating it\u2019s 3rd anniversary in March of 2017. I was looking at the photos I took last year and realized the gym needs a few updates and so I snapped these photos. The equipment has doubled since I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Training with Dad @ Amp Hardcore Gym","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5635\/30925757681_ed96726b0a_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5635\/30925757681_ed96726b0a_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5635\/30925757681_ed96726b0a_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3405,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2012\/01\/04\/our-comfort-zone\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":3},"title":"\u2605 Our Comfort Zone","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"January 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been three days since I last checked Facebook. I haven't had coffee or beer or meat in three days and my level of boredom from the lack of television and other stimulants grows at an even greater pace than my appetite. It's also the 11th day that my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"100_5308.JPG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3538\/3321071150_fbbb424487_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3538\/3321071150_fbbb424487_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3538\/3321071150_fbbb424487_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/11\/30\/realizing-concepts-and-realities-are-as-real-as-our-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":4},"title":"\u2605 Realizing Concepts and Realities are as Real as our Consciousness","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"All photos taken by me this weekend a couple of them are from last year For just a moment, I\u2019d like to write about my Father. Since I moved to San Francisco, you may notice that most of my personal blog entries mention him at least once as a quote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Motivational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Motivational","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/motivational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Me and Dad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2663\/4146716098_d25667dd8a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2870,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2011\/08\/03\/a-healthy-life-part-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":1275,"position":5},"title":"\u2605 A Healthy Life &#8211; Part One","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"August 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I wasn't going to talk about the details of my new regiment. I'm far too busy to discuss details but I am excited about my recent progress and changes. I'm happy to be 30 pounds lighter. I'm happy to be healthier and to have more energy and to get sick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ideas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ideas","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/ideas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1275\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}