Being Thankful

Today’s the big day. Family.  Friends. Food. Football.  Naps. More food! But most of all,  thanks.  Thanks for all the things in your life–the good,  the bad, and yes, even the ugly.  They all make you who you are today.  And I’m not saying that everything in your life is perfect or great or maybe right now, it’s not even good.  But overall, if you are reading this, chances are you have a lot to be thankful for.  It might as big and as general as “I’m thankful for not going Chuck Norris on someone’s ass today at work!” or as small and trivial as “I am thankful for coffee, otherwise I just might have gone Chuck Norris on someone’s ass today at work!” So, what am I thankful for?  A lot, actually.  It’s been a very tumultuous year–to say the very least!  But through the ups and downs and all the in-betweens, here are 39 things for which I am extremely grateful.  After the top 5, they’re in no particular order–just typed as they pop into my brain.  It’s a hefty list, since I have a lot to be grateful for, so perhaps take a moment to grab a cup of coffee or another glass of wine, and a slice pie to enjoy while you read (or pretend to read in an attempt to have 5 minutes to yourself in a house full of people!).

1.  My health.  As I get older and more aware of all the things that can and do go wrong with our bodies, I am glad that, overall, I have made it thus far without any major health complications.
2. Family and friends.  And yes, they go together on one line because within this I am exceptionally thankful that a) not only love my family, but I genuinely like them and they are good and amazing people (because over the course of 39 years, I have met so many people who sadly cannot say that about their family) and b) I not only like my friends, but I genuinely love them and I believe that they are the family that we pick for ourselves.
3. My pupcicle, The Darling Princess Adelaide (aka Addy).  That dog has gotten me through so much and yet, all she wants is to love and be loved.  And fed, because after all, she is my baby!
4. Coffee. (I don’t even think it needs an explanation, especially to those who have ever seen me without it!)
5. My Aunt Kathy.  Yes, she gets her own number because today is her birthday and whenever her birthday falls on Thanksgiving, she always says that we have to be thankful for her.
6. Baking (with a special shout out to Granny, who taught me how)
7. A commute that includes seeing The Statue of Liberty
8. Being able to travel…and while it’s not as often as I would like, it is a lot more than most people
9. Living in a place where clean, running water and electricity are expected.
10. Books
11. Ability to appreciate how beautiful life is
12. Growing up knowing where my food comes from
13. Beer
14. Able to do math without a calculator
15. Photography
16. Post impressionism art
17. Cheesecake
18. Turkey
19. Dressing
20. Cranberries
21. Mashed potatoes
22. Green bean casserole
23. Getting fired from Starbucks and learning that just because a company is good to work for doesn’t mean that they are good to you, as well as,
24. Learning that it’s okay to leave (or get booted from) a job when your boss doesn’t respect your knowledge and hard work because she can’t acknowledge she doesn’t do her job.
25. Living in a city with a great, albeit frustrating, public transportation system
26. Going to the movies
27. Computers, tablets, and smart phones
28. Growing up without computers, tablets, and smart phones and know what it’s like to play outside, scrape my knees, eat clover leaves, and make my kid brother eat mud pies
29. Autumn
30. Snow
31. Beaches
32. FOOTBALL!!
33. Okay, sports in general, but mostly #28!!
34. The Cowboys, The Spurs, The Texas Longhorns, and The Yankees
35. Lake houses
36. All my favorite baristas who always make my day
37. Wine
38. Blogging…and 28 follower (whoop! whoop! thanks ya’ll!!)
39. Living in a country where everyone is entitled to their own opinions free from persecution

And so much more that I could sit here all day and never be done…but I have to go check on the cranberries and start the mashed potatoes, so off I go!

Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll!  gobble gobble