It’s Thanksgiving in three days, the time we express gratitude for the things we have. But really, how thankful are we when we say we are?
I think being grateful to be alive has never been more meaningful than it has these past two years. For a lot of us — who experienced it, had someone who went through it, or lost someone to COVID-19 — the everyday expression “just thankful to be alive” hits differently. It’s so filling when you actually mean it.
So that is already a given.
But how about the relatively smaller qualities? The things that give meaning to our lives, and which often go unaccounted for?
That’s what my post today is about: what I’m thankful for in real time.
I’m thankful for the air I breathe, the love I receive from people like my mom, so unconditionally.
I’m thankful for the laughs that the children I’ve taught, friends and family, or a stranger on the street have given me.
I’m thankful for my softness and common sense in these times of ignorance and hate.
I’m thankful for my good health; keeping my autoimmunity at bay.
I’m thankful for the patience I’m able to find within me. Even when I think I lack much of it, it proves me wrong every time I make it through a rough day.
I’m thankful for sunshine and the sky that I can look at with these eyes on a walk home or anywhere I go; that being it cloudy or clear I can be inspired by because the universe knows a soul like mine needs this piece of nature to feed my all.
I’m thankful that I’m free as a woman, knowing our history.
I’m thankful for visual arts and music, responsible for my sanity. Because whether it’s dancing, singing, or listening, I don’t know how my blues would turn into a hot pink without it.
I’m thankful for my fingers because writing. Obviously. And I’m thankful for you, the people who give this hopeless rolling stone a chance, reading my thoughts and supporting my work.
I’m thankful for the kindness that still exists in our troubled world.
I am thankful for lessons learned.
And yes, I am thankful that I am me.
I may not say it every day, but for this and more I give thanks.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, all.
