Last night while having Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriends (which turned out to be more like a potluck dinner that so happened to fall the weekend before Thanksgiving) we were jokingly discussing things that we were thankful for, like your parents probably made you do when you were little, or more specifically, what my mom still makes us do but only after the 9th bottle of wine so that the only answer you can muster is...grapes. The most common answer among my friends was of course, family and friends, the equivalent of saying "thank you" when someone you don't love tells you they love you and you are left dumbfounded by their words and secretly wish you could make a phone call telepathically to your best friend in Boston and fill her in on all the drama that just transpired. It's the easy way out, if you will. But I think that's okay, sometimes. After all, thinking of things your thankful for is kind of hard thing to do because until you sit down to really, truly and earnestly think about it, usually those things that you are thankful for are the things you mostly take for granted. So without further ado, my 2007 list:
*The health of both myself and my loved ones. I have a grandfather who is 92 and two parents who, aside from a few aches and pains are in very good health. My health was what enabled me to cross the finish line.
*My job that even though at times I dislike, keeps a roof over my head and food in my belly. Having been to Africa earlier this year, I am also very thankful for all those other wonderful things we as Americans take for granted: food, electricity, access to education, running water, heat, clothing and unconditional love.
*Grad school may have been the worst two years of my life, but I am very very thankful for my advanced education and the opportunities I have seized because of it.
*Advanced medical technology and doctors that together, have allowed both of my friends who are battling cancer to live another day.
*Learning and recovering from my past mistakes, recognizing when something has taken its course, listening to my head and heart as separate entities.
*The last minute. The snooze button. Double-sided tape. Chapstick. Tylenol PM, blister band-aids, double knots, laughter.
*The health of both myself and my loved ones. I have a grandfather who is 92 and two parents who, aside from a few aches and pains are in very good health. My health was what enabled me to cross the finish line.
*My job that even though at times I dislike, keeps a roof over my head and food in my belly. Having been to Africa earlier this year, I am also very thankful for all those other wonderful things we as Americans take for granted: food, electricity, access to education, running water, heat, clothing and unconditional love.
*Grad school may have been the worst two years of my life, but I am very very thankful for my advanced education and the opportunities I have seized because of it.
*Advanced medical technology and doctors that together, have allowed both of my friends who are battling cancer to live another day.
*Learning and recovering from my past mistakes, recognizing when something has taken its course, listening to my head and heart as separate entities.
*The last minute. The snooze button. Double-sided tape. Chapstick. Tylenol PM, blister band-aids, double knots, laughter.
No comments:
Post a Comment