Gallup Park in springtime, one of many beautiful Ann Arbor-area parks for which I feel gratitude this Thanksgiving.

Dennis Sparks/Contributor

High on my list of things about which I feel gratitude this Thanksgiving are the Ann Arbor-area parks that have given me so much soul-restoring pleasure this past year. And I am grateful to generations of leaders at the University of Michigan and in the city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the State of Michigan whose wisdom and foresight established and maintain these wonderful natural resources. From Nichols Arboretum to Bandemer Park and out to the borders of Washtenaw County and beyond lie a bounty of trails that soothed and brightened an uncountable number of days over the past year.

In fact, many of the things that contribute immensely to the quality of my life begin with “public”— public education, public libraries, public radio, public television, public transportation, public health, public roads, public beaches, public access, and public toilets, to name a few. From there my mind goes to other public programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that are part of our badly frayed social and economic safety nets.

So when I hear people complain that government is the enemy of public good, I just assume that they don’t get out much or that they have their own parks, education system, beaches, and so on. If I have an opportunity, I tell them about all the ways that public-supported resources have enriched my life, the life of this community, and that of our nation and world.

And when I pay attention each day to the many reasons I have to feel grateful, I try to find a way to say “thank you” for all the things mentioned above and many more.

Dennis Sparks’ “Things Observed” photos and essays encourage readers to slow down to deepen their appreciation of aspects of daily life that may sometimes elude awareness and to see familiar things in fresh ways. You can contact him at dennis.sparks@comcast.net.