As I was reflecting on 2023, I couldn’t believe how fast this year has flown by. That’s OK, though, since after the last few years, we’d probably all like a brighter future to arrive as fast as it can.

With that in mind, here’s my annual Thanksgiving list of people and things I’m grateful for, which has more than a hearty helping of people who are optimistic about the days ahead:

• San Jose State President Cynthia Teniente-Matson, whose mantra since she arrived on campus in January has been that SJSU and San Jose are the “epicenter of the future.” And when it comes to optimistic Spartans, how about football coach Brent Brennan? He and his players rallied from a dismal start this season to move into bowl contention and head into this weekend’s game with UNLV with the wind at their backs.

• Sisters Valerie Lewis and Monica Holmes, who after 44 years have let go of Hicklebee’s bookstore in Willow Glen but are confident that new owner Laura Gahrahmat will continue sharing the joy of reading with generations to come.

• Silicon Valley Creates CEO Connie Martinez, who received San Jose’s Cornerstone of the Arts award and is  “bullish” on downtown’s recovery and a strong believer the arts will be a big part of that. After she retires at the end of the year, expect her successor, Alexandra Urbanowski to carry on that spirit.

• James G. Leventhal, the executive director of the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art who is working to make the South First Street gallery more inclusive and a place that can inspire the artist in everyone. He’s not alone in boosting the visual arts scene downtown thanks to people like Cherri Lakey and Brian Eder at Anno Domini; Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez at MACLA; Trami Cron at Chopsticks Alley; Joe Miller at Works/San Jose; Sayre Batton at the San Jose Museum of Art and many others.

• Alex Stettinski, in his first year as CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association, and his team have made it their mission to bring people back downtown — and it seems to be working. Ditto for others like Eric Glader of the Urban Vibrancy Institute, Fil Maresca with the Levitt Pavilion concerts and SoFA street fairs and the dynamic duo of Mighty Mike McGee and Ato Walker, who hosted the brilliant “Off Nite” talk show at Tabard Theatre.

• Jim Salata deserves a salute for uncovering the First Church of Christ Scientist overlooking St. James Park. And let’s give Preservation Action Council Executive Director Ben Leech and that organization another cheer for making sure that our historic properties aren’t overlooked into oblivion.

• Jay Meduri, who persevered and finally got Poor House Bistro up and running again in Little Italy, helping San Jose fill up again on po’boys, jambalaya and music.

• Margaret Smith, who revived Domus in Los Gatos a decade after she closed the home goods store — bringing a lot of joy to her customers.

• Ana Vargas-Smith, who — along with her board and a host of volunteers — has turned Santa Clara’s Parade of Champions into an event the Mission City can really be proud of. And that’s definitely keeping hope alive for the future revival of Santa Clara’s downtown.

• Republic Urban Properties President Michael Van Every, who turned a childhood accident that left him severely burned into an opportunity to support VMC’s Burn Center through the Valley Health Foundation.

• A trio of nonprofit leaders — Cayce Hill at Veggielution, Shiloh Ballard at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and Megan Fluke at Green Foothills — who have moved this year but all left their organizations in positions of strength.

• San Jose Taiko, which has become part of the city’s cultural fabric during its 50 years — thanks to excellent leadership that has ranged from Roy and PJ Hirabayashi to Wisa Uemura and Franco Imperial and a countless number of students and performers.

• Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Tshaka Campbell and Los Gatos Poet Laureate Jen Siraganian will be wrapping up their terms at the end of the year, but they used their words to bring beauty and thought to our community.

• And last, but certainly not least, my wife, Amy Pizarro, who for the past decade has leaned on her friends to donate feminine hygiene products that are distributed by HomeFirst to women and girls living in shelters and encampments throughout Santa Clara County. The effort has brought in more than 650,000 items in 10 years, and I couldn’t be more proud (and thankful that she said “yes” to a guy like me).

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and thanks to all the readers who keep giving us reasons to be optimistic ourselves.