I'm thankful for my dog Olive and all nine pounds of her alpha qualities; as much as she drives me nuts with her protective barking at every sound as she sits near me while I work. I'm thankful for credit unions waking up to the plusses and minuses of fintech instead of blindly following along, and asking the important questions like, “Is this really what we want to become?” and “Will this help us grow our younger generations of members?” I'm thankful for stupid mistakes and the lessons we should learn from them; for instance, the four credit union employees in Idaho who dressed in blackface as the Jamaican bobsled team for Halloween. It was unbelievably stupid, and hopefully it will be a lesson that should have been learned decades ago: That there is no right in their actions – it's all wrong.

I'm thankful for all of my iPhone chargers and the fact that I keep at least two with me at all times. More so, I'm thankful that airlines have figured out that we freakin' need places at the gates to charge up before we get on a long flight on a plane without USB ports. I'm thankful that we are doing a tiny bit better with diversity in the credit union workplace – it's not great, but it's a little better and our team does notice these things when we receive all of the announcements from credit unions when they hire or promote executive leaders. I'm thankful that I don't need half-and-half in my coffee. I'm thankful that eventually everyone gets caught, no matter how elaborate the scheme is, to steal money from credit unions. Peter Strozniak and I discuss this a lot and the discussions always end with, “Well, it might take years, but everyone gets caught.”

I'm thankful for Gary Larson and old The Far Side comics. I'm thankful for the mute button on my phone. I'm thankful for really good bean dip with corn. I'm thankful for well-thought-out infographics. I'm thankful for friendly credit union employees and when they give me candy. I'm thankful for the FFIEC for not updating the social media guidelines for credit unions – take your time, people. I'm thankful for space heaters. I'm thankful that there's no clear answer if expanding or contracting the number of credit union branches is a good thing; the debate continues. I'm thankful for grocery stores that have the security camera TV monitor overhead as you walk in so you can see how tired you look on Saturdays. I'm thankful for credit union leagues and what they do for their regions, and I hope they see that they're doing the best they can with the uncertain economic future. Speaking of credit union leagues, I'm thankful for people like Janine McBee and Tina Ramos-Ingold – two people who've been involved in credit unions for a long time and have remained just the nicest people. I'm thankful for the smell of bacon – I don't eat meat, but I do enjoy the smell. I'm thankful for credit union branches in high schools. I'm thankful that someone thought that this was a good idea, because it really is!

I'm thankful when my hotel room key card works. I'm thankful for quotes that are so true, like this one: “Don't know where your kids are in the house? Turn off the WiFi and they'll show up quickly.” I'm thankful when CUSOs are created to fill a real need in the community and/or country. I'm thankful when I'm only CC'd on an email and don't feel the need to take any action. I'm thankful for brown sugar on oatmeal. I'm thankful for CUNA and other credit unions joining together in a class-action lawsuit against Equifax. I'm thankful that not everyone is using all 280 characters on Twitter. I'm thankful for being able to meet credit union CEOs, vendors and credit union experts face-to-face; it doesn't happen often enough, but I hope to change that.

I'm thankful for the hard-working teams who take their jobs seriously and have fun at the same time. I'm thankful for a good PowerPoint presentation. I'm thankful when I get new photos to use of the NCUA headquarters. I'm thankful when credit union people greet me with a hug – it's fun! I'm thankful for hoodies. I'm thankful for well-written opinion pieces we receive to run in print or online. I'm thankful for that first moment of getting into bed and letting out a big sigh. I'm thankful that all credit union employees were found to be alive and OK after the hurricanes this year. I'm thankful for my team of Natasha, Peter, Tina, Jim, David, Tahira and Roy because they are truly talented and occasionally swear.

I'm thankful for face lotion without alcohol. I'm thankful that some credit unions are seeing both strength and real empathy when creating lending opportunities for minorities. I'm thankful for regulations. I'm thankful for our readers who email me. I'm thankful that I rarely wear a tie. I'm thankful for breaking news. I'm thankful for credit union branches with really comfortable chairs to sit in while waiting to meet a mortgage expert. I'm thankful when professional journalists admit when they're wrong and own up to it. I'm thankful for a good Buddy Rich drum solo. I'm thankful for Google maps when driving around to get to the closest credit union ATM. I'm thankful for my Contigo – the best travel mug in the world. I'm thankful for podcasts and that some credit unions and credit union experts are finally producing some really good ones. I'm thankful for Skype interviews. I'm thankful for Burt's Bees coconut and pear moisturizing lip balm. I'm thankful for even the snotty comments I'll get for writing this column. I'm thankful for microfleece blankets.

And finally, I'm thankful that I'm able to do this gig despite the challenges and the headaches – it's tough and it's made me even more thankful for an industry that I believe in.

Michael Ogden is executive editor for CU Times. He can be reached at mogden@cutimes.com.

Instant Insights /

Dogs, Criminals & Brown Sugar: Being Thankful

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