Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. I hope you’ve had a wonderful day, spent with those dear to you. As is my tradition, I’m making a list today of things for which I am thankful. I have not always committed this list to writing, but I’ve posted several of them here on this blog, and I like doing it that way, so here we are. What follows are just a few of the things—big and small—that make me grateful for the life I lead.
- My family and friends. They’re first on the list every year because I can’t imagine what I’d do or what I’d be without them. And I feel doubly blessed because I’ve got family that’s also friends, and friends who are more like family.
- Blogging. I’ve toyed around with a blog on and off for years, but it was only earlier this year that I got more serious and became more diligent about regular posting. It’s been a nice outlet and it’s let me meet some great people; what’s not to like?
- The time I had at Sprint. It didn’t end well, and I spent a lot of time being angry and hurt about that (and I’d be lying if I said all of that time was in the distant past), but I had a lot of good years there, met a lot of great people, and learned a lot. I won’t ever regret having been there.
- My home. Sometimes owning a home is a real pain, like when both the heat pump and the water well need repair within days of having splurged on a new cooktop, but lots of people don’t have the luxury of having that sort of hassle, so I’ll take it.
- Brian’s job. It’s easy to take his job for granted sometimes, being a government employee and all, but now that I’m out of work, I’m eternally grateful for the stability of his workplace.
- The opportunity to go to school. That opportunity arose from a bad situation, but I guess that’s why they say every cloud has a silver lining.
- Truvia. Though I’ve been on a huge backslide with my weight loss endeavors, there are a few decent habits I’ve kept up, including mostly giving up soda. But I can’t drink unsweet tea, and sometimes I need something more than water, so thank goodness for a zero-calorie sweetener I actually like.
- Sunshine. It’s naturally healing and joyful, and especially nice this time of year when it holds the winter at bay just a little longer.
- The Big Bang Theory. Of course, we all know that I’m a big fan of television in general, and there are a few current shows that could individually make the list (White Collar, anyone?), but I really love this show. It never fails to make me laugh, and I think that’s a good thing. (Tangentially, have you seen their recent flash mob? It’s worth watching.)
- Good food, and plenty of it. Sort of like the whole home ownership thing, making food can be a hassle from time to time, but I try to never forget that not everyone gets to feast on turkey and fixin’s for Thanksgiving, or have pretty much whatever they want every other day of the year. It really is a blessing.
- John F. Kennedy. I know this probably seems like a strange thing to include on my list, especially considering I was barely three months old when he died. But, today is the anniversary of his death, and—as I do every November 22—I’ve taken a few minutes to think about him and the things he did for our country. I can recognize that his assassination has probably caused history to be kinder to him than it might otherwise have been, but I still firmly believe that America is better now than it would have been had he never been in office.
- Animals. My cats, the dogs I’ve had, the birds I watch in the yard, deer I see crossing the road, the miniature horses I pass on my way to school, the grizzlies we saw on vacation last year—all of them. Animals are cool, and I’m glad there are so many to enjoy.
So, on this national day of thanks, those are just a few of the things I’m grateful for. I hope that during your holiday celebrations you’ve had a few moments to make your own list and be thankful for what you have.
