So I dropped the ball with posting something I'm thankful for every day on facebook... so I thought I would give a few things the attention they deserve... I still might not do it justice but here goes...
1. I'm thankful for my family. Young and old far and wide, those I talk to every day and those I touch base with just once in a while, all are important to me. Families aren't ever perfect and that's what makes them beautiful. Every family is different and I happen to think mine is spectacular, each member individually awesome.
2. My parents - I still feel them with me everyday because our bond was so strong, and for that I am forever thankful. When I'm having a rough day I can hear my dad saying "chin up, kid" and I can almost feel my mom brush her hands down my hair like she would do when I was sad. My tough side (which sometimes hides) comes from both of them... I think the word feisty could be used for either one. When I need to channel my "inner feisty" I just think of them and my backbone gets a little stronger :-) My mom had spunk and my dad had a bravery that I think is unmatched, and they both had an awful lot of love to give.
3. My friends -I have awesome friends that I've known for 20+ years and awesome friends I've known just a few months and I am thankful for every single one... They are a support system that I don't even begin to know how to be thankful enough for. When I lost my parents and found myself on my own again in what felt like rapid succession I thought I would feel a bit like an orphan and alone in the world. But I was wrong. Through every crisis I've ever faced my friends have been there to encourage me, make me laugh, dry my tears, feed me Hoffman's milkshakes and literally hold me up if I needed it. Not a single one of them ever lets me forget who I am and that I'm tough enough for whatever life throws at me. They're also good at being silly, going on adventures, challenging me to get out of my comfort zone, eating sweets, drinking wine, having fantastically inappropriate conversations and just plain ridiculous fun! I *am* one lucky girl.
4. My health - I've worked much more on this in the last few years, realizing that mid-thirties is probably a good time to start taking better care of myself (ok mid twenties or earlier might have been a better idea). I'm thankful I have the energy to do fun things. I'm thankful that my body proves me wrong when my mind says "I can't" and I think it's been fun challenging myself in new and different ways whether it be by trying a new food that's healthy and delicious or by taking up a new hobby (I'm aching to try some trapeze work after the Pink show last night!)
5. My path in life... This is really overarching but I like where I am today, and who I am today and so because of that I need to be thankful for every step that got me here. Even the ones that made me angry or sad. I was blessed to have a childhood that gave me a solid foundation for life- for all of the experiences and opportunities my parents and organizations like 4-H gave me during those years. I'm thankful for college where I learned to love poetry and art and to think about the world in a different way, and I'm thankful for the sometimes rocky path I've had as an adult when I've felt like a new crisis was being slung at me on a regular basis. I'm thankful for my career which lets me use my brain to solve puzzles and lets me be around awesome coworkers and customers everyday.
6. Tough times - This is going to sound crazy.. but more than once recently I've caught myself saying "you've had harder days than this - this is nothing - you can get through it". I'm sure there are tough times still to come.. maybe even tougher than I've already dealt with but I know exactly which days and moments have been my toughest so far and when I think I'm having a rough day I can look at those and know that I'm on the other side of them now and whatever is going on shall pass too. Tough times make for a tougher Jen :-) but never a less sensitive or caring Jen. So for that I am also thankful.
AND THE TOP TEN SILLY THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR:
1. Coffee
2. Chocolate
3. Kittens
4. Baby Goats
5. Hot baths
6. Good wine
7. Warm blankets
8. John Green Books :-) OK that should have been on my main list!
9. Songs that make me dance in the car
10. Songs that make me cry in the car
