With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the madness I’m about to encounter with prepping food, baking pies cleaning up and the bouncing between 2 households (mine and the boys), I am trying to stop myself and not only be grateful for the insanely large amounts of food my family always prepares or that we have a warm house filled with love to eat it all in. I am thankful to spend it with the people I love dearly. I am thankful for having good friends who listen to me vent and always have my back. I am thankful to have a job, although I may not like it, I am glad for all that I have learned and continue to learn. I am thankful for my Prius, which doesn’t cost me a day’s work of pay to fill up and is very reliable. I am thankful for my boyfriend and my puppy, who I get to spend every morning and night with.
All that thankfulness should be more than enough—and it is—but I also wanted to think of the little things that we take for granted. Well— because they occur all the time, like every day or so – we may not appreciate them. I know we aren’t the Pilgrims and don’t really look at Thanksgiving as a time to be thankful – it’s become more about the 3 F’s (food, family, football), but It’s good to realize some of the day-to-day things going on that we may have become accustomed to without even realizing until, well you make a list of thankfulness!
Here is my quick list I jotted down – (in no particular order)
I am thankful….
–that the dog stopped peeing under the dining room table – as our house has a small slant to it, that is most noticeable when he pees under there and it slides down to the other end of the room…
–for my amazing boyfriend: who sees me with no makeup, hair a mess, in my sweats and still loves me. And for how hard he works along with getting his MBA at Boston College (late nights) yet still remembers to give me a kiss when he walks in the door.
–for my mom and dad – especially for my mom who has done a complete 180 with Freddy and is not only accepting being a pet-gramma but embracing it. My dad has always been on my side =)
–for my cousin, Jaclyn who always makes sure we stay connected – and keeps calling- even if our conversations are via voicemails.
–that my friends have a group chat going about only things we would laugh at (Bridesmaid quotes, they never get old)
–for chocolate and my spontaneous baking that always comes out delicious. (thank you grandma for that skill)
–for the dog park (so I can have a few minutes to myself after without Freddy attacking me to play)
–that I tried to volunteer at 5 different shelters and they didn’t need my help because they were overwhelmed with the amount of volunteers helping! (It’s always good to know people care about people or about animals)
–that football season is half way over (My boyfriend is a huge fan, I am only because I want to win Fantasy – but I would rather spend our Sundays doing other things together)
–that my mother likes to shop as much as me and that we have the same size foot!
–for Sunday morning acoustic radio
–that my brother is into golf and wants to go with me! Also that even though he’s 16, I’m thankful that he still gives me a kiss goodbye in public.
–that my sister keeps our g-chat going with random fun stuff to get us both through those longggg days.
Writing this down- made me realize how many more things I could add to it- and how we tend to focus on what’s missing in our life instead of what’s already there in front of us.
Try it out for yourself – maybe when you finally get the pie in the oven – or you can put the recipe book away- takes a few minutes, but means the world to realize how good you actually have it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
