Thanksgiving

It's November. And all my facebook buddies are going to start sharing one thing every day that they are thankful for in celebration of Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful for things, too. But there might be some days in November when I feel snarky or flabbergasted, and then I may forget to tell everyone that I'm thankful. Or I might get sick. Or I might be busy with homework. Or I may take a whole day or two off from using the Internet (gasp!). And then you won't know what I'm thankful for that day.

We can't have you not knowing what I'm thankful for when it is November, so I'm just going to put it all down right here, right now. One thankfulness for every day of November, not necessarily in any particular order. No slacking off for me this year!

1. My husband is my favorite person in the whole world!
2. I love fruits and vegetables!
3. I have some of the funniest, most loving, and clever siblings in the whole world.
4. My parents have loved and cherished me every day of my life, even on bad days, even on busy days. They've never forgotten to love me!
5. I've never gone a single day in my life without having my needs met. Every day I have food, clothes, a roof over my head, heat and running water. Every single day. And that is incredible!
6. I get to do what I love. Right now, I'm going to massage school, and it is fulfilling, stimulating, fascinating and fun.
7. I am healthy and well. My body works and functions beautifully!
8. My husband has provided a beautiful home for me where I can feel content, safe, and at peace.
9. I live in the most beautiful place on earth: Oregon!
10. I have the time and energy to try new things. I love experiments!
11. All the electronic appliances in my home work really well, which means it's easy and simple for me to cook food, wash my clothes, wash dishes. It's the best life!
12. I love my public library! I will never run out of new things to read and learn and think about. For free!
13. I really appreciate that my husband is as stubborn and strong-willed as I am. It helps make me a more humble, flexible, and gracious person.
14. I'm thankful for Goodwill. It feels amazing to be able to buy new clothes so I feel fresh and stylish and pretty without having to feel guilty at all about spending too much money.
15. I'm grateful to have a life that is, for the most part, structured and predictable. I know, this sounds boring, but it makes me feel secure.
16. My husband is so sexy! I still stare at him all the time because his gorgeousness catches my eye, and I just can't look away.
17. Cleanliness! To have the resources, tools, time, energy, and know-how to have a clean home, a clean body and clean clothes is priceless to me.
18. My husband doesn't think I'm nuts, even when I say things or do things that really are nuts.
19. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am thankful for professional sports. Watching and reading about sports makes my husband's eyes sparkle sometimes. And I'm just a sucker for sparkles in eyes.
20. Andrew, Malia, Travis, Amy, Ryan, and Emma are the most beautiful people on earth that I know. Even though they're not my own babies, I think they're perfect in every way. These sweet nieces and nephews will be my precious babies no matter how old they get.
21. I have a precious friend who has been there for me through thick and thin. It's not very often that a person gets to have a lifetime friend. Let's keep talking forever!
22. I love teachers! My dad has always been my favorite teacher, but I've had so many good ones. My childhood teachers helped draw me out of my shell and show me my potential. The teachers I've worked with taught me how to be a good teacher myself. And the teachers I have right now are sharing amazing things with me about massage and about life that are going to change who I am forever.
23. Sometimes (well, like almost every day) I turn on some good music and dance like a crazy person in my living room and kitchen and bedroom and bathroom... Thank you to all the musicians out there for writing music for me to dance to!
24. I am so grateful for the all the food I can get at the grocery store. Pretty much anything that I can think of to eat (vegetables!) is there, every day, all day long. If you think about it, that's really pretty awesome!
25. I love rain! I love listening to rain, watching rain, walking in the rain, dancing in the rain... It's one of those things that feeds my soul.
26. I'm grateful for unexpected changes in life. As much as I'd like to carefully plan everything and have it be just a certain way, the changes and curveballs almost always turn out better and are usually important in some way.
27. I am thankful for Chemeketa Community College. Here's a fun fact that you may not know. My entire life, my dad worked at Chemeketa. My husband now works at Chemeketa and hopes to continue working there for the rest of his career. So, Chemeketa has been my main source of income for all but about five years of my life and will probably continue to be for many more years.
28. I'm grateful that my mom taught me how to sew. I don't sew often or well, and I don't make big things or fancy things. But when I need to sew something or I want to sew something, I can.
29. There are a few authors and poets who have changed my life by putting their thoughts on paper and finding a way to share them. I am forever indebted to these people for taking the time and effort to write those words down so I could read them.
30. Chinese medicine is the bomb! Because of the work my acupuncturist has done with me, I am healthier and happier than I have ever been in my entire life. Literally! I hope that I can learn enough about Chinese medicine in the context of massage to be able to help other people find healing and wellness as well.

So, that's it, in a nutshell. I'm blessed and oh so grateful for the life I have! Happy Thanksgiving!