Earlier this week, we had our first snow fall of the season. Three days later, the snow is gone and Dan is thinking about golfing today. Crazy weather here, in New England! Even crazier was Sandy that came through the week before. I guess technically, Sandy came close to Boston but went right through New York, where many of my friends live. From what I can tell, they are fine- as fine as one could be in the wake of a hurricane. But I'm thankful for that, for them.
Speaking of thankful, I've noticed a few friends on Facebook posting about "a Thankful November"- mentioning a different thing they are thankful for each day of the month, I assume, to lead up to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a holiday that allows everyone to celebrate all they are thankful for, with friends and family. I like the idea: calling attention to the things for which they are thankful during the whole month, so as to not only celebrate for one day of the year. This exercise really brings to mind the POINT of that practice- Giving Thanks, and that we ALL should be giving thanks ALL year.
We've all seen how successful- or rather unsuccessful- I am at participating in these campaigns (posting something every day for a given amount of time- see Photo Project of a few months ago, or the Photo Project before that) at least for any amount of time. So here it goes: one shot, from the beginning-
I am thankful for my parents (cliche maybe, but there's nothing more true) for raising me to be strong, confident, loud- at times, smart, and capable--- not to toot my own horn. There is a line in Freakonomics where they talk about raising children and how you are as a person affects how you will raise your children. Not that buying "What to Expect When You're Expecting" will make you a better parent, but that wanting to buy the book means you're already a better parent. So with that I guess I am also thankful for my parents' parents. The life that I was blessed to have as I grew to be a young woman, has prepared me in more ways than I can count to be in the position I am now- a 25 year-old, young professional, with no debt, great friends, a warm bed, a terrific boyfriend (all things for which I am thankful... and I'll get there). But now, I can think of no better way to show my thanks to my wonderful parent's is to provide as good, if not better a life, to my family. So I'm thankful for the ability, or the potential, to do that.
Now to the other things- one can't mention one's parents and leave out one's sibling- especially when one's sibling is as great as mine. I'm thankful for by big brother, Mark, who has been my friend, hero, musical inspiration, on-call tech support, sounding board, compatriot, and chauffeur for my entire life- or what I can remember of it. I am especially thankful for the fact that he thought to come visit me during his vacation at the end of this month. We might not speak all the time, and catch up about life, and talk to the wee hours, but I know (and I believe he does as well) that we mean the world to each other despite that. We are growing into adults with distinct and successful lives, and so our relationship is evolving as well. We know we have to rely on ourselves to be sure we keep each other in our lives, and the lives of our families. Mom and Dad don't plan these things anymore. They aren't there to force us to get along, or "be nice to your sister", or even to see each other. We have made that important, and luckily we are able to make these trips happen (mostly Mark-thanks again- and his frequent flyer points). I'm thankful that I have seen Mark as often as my parents this year, despite living on the other side of the country, and I'm extremely excited for him to visit soon.
Today is Homecoming in Tucson, and I am so jealous to those of my friends who made it for the celebration. But this morning, I got phone calls and texts from some of the most important people in the world- reminding me I'm in their thoughts too, despite our distance. I'm thankful for those friendships that aren't affected one bit by the lack of physical closeness, couch sitting, bar crawls, day drinking, shopping, school classes, extra-curricular activities, photo hunt games, football games, power hours, late nights, early mornings, long drives, and longer conversations about nothing that we used to share. I'm thankful that I was given the opportunity to meet and grow to love my best friends, and that those people have given me so much more than a ton of blurry photos- and memories. I wish- more than anything- to be able to be with them this weekend, but thankful for the knowledge that this weekend would be great to share, but that our lives include many more weekends and homecomings, and photos and memories, and full body hug-squeezes- and I can't wait. I'm thankful that they seem to be as successful in their own worlds as I feel in mine, and I wish the absolute best for them, always.
After college, I was able to move to Boston in what probably seemed like the craziest idea to my parents and friends, that I've ever had- I assure you, I've had plenty. But I am thankful for the support- and luck- I had in that move to allow me to be successful on the East Coast. I'm thankful I was able to cross most of the country with a great friend who let me hitch a ride, and that I now have an experience I'll never forget. I am also thankful that the pilots of that flight to Boston were so careful, and despite being re-directed to Baltimore and the most frightening 2 hours of my life, made sure that I arrived to my new city safe and sound.
In addition to old friends that will always be there, I'm thankful for new friends that I have gained. When I moved to Boston 3+ years ago, I knew next to no-one and I'm thankful that didn't last long. I have been lucky enough to meet a great amount of terrific individuals who have helped to make Boston my home. Many of these meetings can only be attributed to "luck", for which I am grateful and in awe, still. My "family" in Boston has gone through some changes, much like the life I've been trying to build, and I'm thankful that the evolution has been so smooth. I'm thankful for the friends that opened their homes, holidays, couches, softball teams, families, friends, and activities to me to make me feel at home, and to not want for anything. Being so far from my own parents, and my besties from home, it means so much for new friends to have invited me home for Thanksgivings and Christmases, and provided for me, for nothing more than a "thank you" in return. I'm thankful that I've found a family out here, that means so much to me and my survival in the big-bad city.
I'm thankful for the experience that I was able to gain while working at Enterprise, and I'm thankful I now longer do. My new job is great, better than I had ever hoped, with a challenging learning curve, and a great group of people, and I'm thankful I could make the jump as easily as I did. I know changing careers can be extremely difficult for most people, and I'm thankful for my boss, and my family, and my preparation that made it smoother for me than most.
I've been more than blessed in my life, and more than anything, I'm thankful for that. I feel like there is a light shining down on me, and I hope that I am redirecting that out into the world everyday- at least I'm trying to give it my best shot. Here's to another year full of things for which I can give thanks.
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