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Jason Pierre-Paul living his life differently with newfound perspective

Bob Glauber

Glauber has been Newsday's national football columnist since 1992. He was Newsday's football writer covering the Jets and

Jason Pierre-Paul needs no prodding to tell you what he's thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

"I'm thankful to be alive," the Giants' 26-year-old defensive end said. "In the situation I was in, I could have died. So I'm just thankful to be alive."

Pierre-Paul could easily have been killed the night of July 4, when he set off fireworks in the yard of his South Florida home, something he'd been doing the last several years to entertain kids in his neighborhood.