I've been inspired by the new Facebook trend to post one thing a day from now until Thanksgiving, but I don't want to do it via status updates. Instead, I'd rather keep the list going here, and publish it when I'm finished. I don't like to over-update on the old FB, and what if I had something else that just had to be alerted to the general populace? (I realize I'm not that important, but still.) Also, I'd like to focus on the smaller, often overlooked aspects of life--of course I'm thankful for my friends and family, for my health, for the freedoms and rights afforded me by living in America. Of course. I have some of the best friends on the Earth who have seen me through it all; my mom (as I blogged earlier) is easily one of my favorite people, and America, for all its issues and flaws, is still a great place to live. No, I want to think about the cliched "little things."
In no particular order...
1. I am thankful for crisp, but not uncomfortably cold, fall days when the sky is blue, the leaves have turned, the sun is out and the squirrels are scampering.
2. That 7 years ago I found an ad on petfinder.com for a deaf orange cat on the verge of being put down because no one wanted him (what with the deafness and all) and that I took a chance on this pathetic sounding little guy. Morris is the cutest, snuggliest, friendliest cat and enriches my life every day, despite his myriad health issues (no eardrums, pee crystals...). Sometimes I just look at him and burst with how much I love him. I love how he snores; I love how he gets this curious, quizzical look on his face when he's watching the squirrels. I could go on, but I'd probably disgust you.
3. That there are people willing to and keenly capable at doing jobs that benefit me (and most other people) without being especially glamorous. I'm thinking car mechanics, nail technicians, seamstresses, plumbers, heating and cooling maintenance, pet groomers, bus drivers, mail delivery persons, gas station attendants (in New Jersey), supermarket bakery and meat counter workers, the overnight custodians who make the places I visit look nice in the secret of night, etc. Thank you for all you do that makes my life, and the lives of others, a lot easier and more pleasant.
4. I'm grateful for being pleasantly surprised. One of my student teachers totally "got us" all in class today as part of a lesson and it was so great I couldn't stop smiling afterward. I don't love all surprises, actually--especially if it's one of the "I have something for you but I can't give it to you yet"--variety, but when you least expect something to happen, and then it does, and it's a good thing...awesome. And I'm glad the world has moments like these and that I am occasionally privy to them.
5. For first impressions, second chances, three strikes. These are all important things to live by, at least sometimes. (I also go for third chances, 2 strikes, etc. )
6. For summer weather, fall food, winter wonderlands and spring cleaning. I have lived in a place that is pretty monoseasonal, and it's just not as enjoyable as having all four cycle through the year in a relatively predictable fashion. Sure, last year it was 90 in early April and 50 in May and we got a near apocalyptic amount of snow, but the changes are worth it. Football season is better with hoodies and chili, baseball is better with sunshine and burgers. (It is currently warmish for early November; someone remind me to reread this in mid-February when it's grey and bleak and I haven't left the house in 4 days and am eating rice pudding every night as Seasonal Affective Disorder self-medication.)
7. For well written books, well-directed films, beautiful art, well-composed music....basically, I am so grateful that our world contains a wide variety of things that are artistic and beautiful. The world and my life would be so depressing without Monet, Renoir, Mozart, Darren Aronofsky, Phillip Glass, Joss Whedon, Picasso, Vivaldi, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison, Julia Alvarez,..oh my. I could go on. Of course, taste is subjective and the same art does not appeal to everyone, but I for one am glad for "Waterlilies."
8. That being said, I'm also thankful that movies like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and shows like Sex and the City and songs like "Bad Romance" and books like The Mortal Instruments exist. Maybe not high quality but fun and brainless and easy to enjoy.
9. I'm thankful that "all" I have to do is pay someone some money and I get a roof over my head and hot water in my shower. Sure, at the moment my current economic state renders the space small and the cost about 50% of my monthly take home pay, but I am far, far luckier than those who do not have access to shelter and who cannot take a hot shower every day, if ever.
10. I also have the luxury of paying money and walking out of a store with nutritious food to bring home and prepare. I don't have to scrounge, hunt or gather (unless I so choose), nor do I worry where my next meal will come from. I wake up every day knowing I will eat. Most of the time, I eat a lot. How lucky!
11. I am thankful that, despite going to a high school that was pretty consistently ranked near the bottom of the pile, I had some really good teachers whose lessons and instruction were so good that I still remember the content 12 plus years later. I recently tutored a girl in Honors Geometry and remember almost everything about triangles and exterior angles and how to solve to find them, etc. I learned this stuff when I was 14! And, to be fair, haven't really used it much, except to take the SAT and GRE. Sure, I'm a relatively intelligent person, but my teachers were also pretty darn good, apparently.
12. I am grateful for the train that runs near my apartment. It sounds so hauntingly beautiful, especially at night.
13. I am thankful for competent, caring medical professionals who treated my friend Joel who is now hopefully in full remission and won't have to go through surgery that would remove some pretty important body parts. My mom also had a simple procedure recently (and had pretty intense surgery a few years ago) and she was well cared for. Doctors, nurses, NPs, PAs, techs, EMTs who care about their patients, listen well and are thoughtful and precise with their treatments and diagnoses are irreplaceable. (My mom is one of these people, as is my friend Jennie.)
14. I am thankful for group fitness classes and the people who teach them! No matter where I have lived or on what salary, one of the first things I do is join a gym. I can't help it--I'm crazy that way. And all of my self-motivation gets exhausted by work or school, so I need the help to work out. Out of desperation, I'll use the elliptical or treadmill or bike or something, but I live for BodyAttack, BodyPump, BodyStep, Cardio-Strength and (back in PA) Kettlebell. My BodyAttack class even feels like a mini-family since we all stand in the same place every time and have gotten to sort of know each other. I need the specific time slot and the presence of others to keep me accountable.
15. I am thankful for the kindness of strangers. Today, a girl and I were waiting for the women's restroom to open up after cleaning. We were both sort of doing the pee dance, and so I offered to watch the door of the men's room while she used it if she would return the favor. Two days ago I had the most cheerful bus driver I've ever met, and you could tell that she had struck up a friendship with a woman in a wheelchair who is a "regular" on her route. I do believe that people are inherently good and these little moments remind me of that.
16. It sounds dumb, but I am grateful for technology and the Internet. I know I was a anti Facebook for a while (and am now addicted), but it has allowed me to not only stay in contact with my friends and reacquaint with old ones, but I've even gotten to know my half siblings whom I have never met in person. Gchat is a lifeline, as is my cell phone, and I love reading personal blogs. I am in a place in my life where I need human contact and without Mark Zuckerberg or the team at Google, my life would be much emptier. Or at least seem that way. And for all the criticism it gets, I now have a wee bit of income thanks to Craigslist. I am also grateful for my cellphone, DVR, and even the fancy alarm clock I have that sets itself when the power goes out. Because of the internet, I can listen to my weekly podcasts and be seated comfortably in a cozy chair doing research for a class.
17. If I am thankful for the people who do unappreciated behind the scenes work (#3), I am also thankful for those people in the limelight who are well paid to bring some brilliance and insight in our world. People like Jon Stewart, Rachel Maddow, Dan Savage, Anderson Cooper and the rest of the liberal news media tend to make my day. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate that their conservative counterparts have a venue too (ok, maybe I'm not thankful for Fox itself...) but those are not the people bringing the sunshine into my life.
18. I'm not a foodie by any means, but man oh man, am I grateful for the beet dip at The Burgundy Room here in Columbus. Honestly the best thing I've ever eaten. They also had this amazing roasted asparagus dish that was to die for, but they just got a new chef and it is no longer on their menu. Sigh. At least I had it once. Other foodstuffs that make me melt include the harvest roll at Haiku, the (now unavailable) pineapple coconut cake at Margaritaville (I know, a chain, how lame of me), and the cream of caramelized onion soup at my former place of employment, The King George Inn in Allentown. The chef was a jerk, but man. That soup.
19. I am also not too big of a drinker, but I also get in a tizzy for the peach sangria at Barcelona, the flirtinis at Landmark, the margaritas at El Vez in Philly and Doc Loosen riesling (which I get at The Burgundy Room with my beet dip). Some days you just "need a drink" and one sip of any of these...well, I am grateful for them!
20. This Thanksgiving, I am a little bit unmoored, both physically and emotionally, and I am thankful that really, I always have a place to go. I can't be home with my mom and my home in PA is no longer an option, but I have friends who invited me to celebrate with them, new classmates who did the same, and OSU opens its doors to students who have no other place to go as well. People do want you to feel "at home" even when you don't really have one.
21. Though I've only really ever had cats, I love dogs, too, and I love sleeping with my friend Matt's dog, Milo. He curls up under the blankets at my feet and is my personal four-legged toaster oven. He's also pretty snuggly on the couch and a nice excuse to go outside for a walk.
22. You know what? I'll be so bold as to say I am thankful for hot men. I have been chastised for having odd taste, but seriously, there are some good looking people in the world. Some of my personal favorites include Jason Segel, Jon Stewart, Andy Samberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew Gray Gubler, Shemar Moore, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jon Hamm, Hugh Jackman, Andy Roddick, John Krasinski...again, taste is totally subjective, but these guys? Yowza. And, hey, I won't be so sexually rigid that I can't name some hot women, too: Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, Tina Fey, the girl who does the Aveeno ads, Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Aniston, Bar Rafaeli...gorgeous. Of course, I have hot friends (male and female) too, but it's far safer to name the famous people.
23. I am thankful for little rituals and traditions, be they big or small, public or private. The beloved hippie dj on my favorite Philadelphia radio station always plays "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving--all 18+ minutes of it--three times. ABC family has the "25 Days of Christmas" on tv for our holiday movie viewing pleasure. My friend Ali always hosts a holiday party that is one of my favorite things all year. I am sure everyone has family rituals, especially around this time of year, that bring them a little bit of extra happiness. My mom and I usually work at a soup kitchen; some people play football, others have board games, parade viewings, a Turkey Trot, even the 5 am Black Friday trip to the mall with a coffee run first.
24. While I do enjoy the comfortably crisp fall days (#1), I also very much enjoy the non-politically correct named Indian Summer. It was almost 70 out the other day--in late November! I won't spout off on whether this is a result of global warming or what have you, but I'll certainly take it.
25. Lastly, I am glad for grief, happiness, disappointment, jealousy, empathy, joy, love, heartache....all of these emotions and feelings that make us so utterly, inescapably human. Without them, we would all be flatlining our way through life. Sure, some of those are terrible feelings, but they don't last forever. When you've come out on the other side of those, the good ones--joy, happiness, gratitude, love--seem that much richer. I am so, so glad I have all of them.
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