Day Nine: Thanks

Gratitude. It's kind of a slippery concept, in a world of entitlement, instant gratification, and endless whining over first-world problems ("Ugh! They put too much hazelnut in my white chocolate hazelnut mocha!"). 

Some of us face problems that aren't so vapid. Unemployment, a total lack of income, sickness and disability, abuse, loneliness, mental illness and stress all loom large in our lives. It can be hard, sometimes, to crawl out from under the weight of all the things we have to do for people, and all the things people aren't doing for us. Much like a boa constrictor, though, the harder we struggle against the things weighing us down, the tighter they squeeze us.

The only way out is gratitude. No matter how bad your life is, there are things to be grateful for; for one, you are, in fact, alive.

This year, I am grateful for so many things. I'm grateful for my student teaching, for the opportunity to get started in a career. I'm grateful for my wonderful best friend, for letting me live with her even though I can't pay rent and I don't do the dishes as often as I said I would. I'm grateful that my dad is alive and recovering. I'm grateful for all the people in our lives who gathered around my family, to support us while my dad was in the hospital. I'm grateful that we have a day to remind us to be grateful.

And I'm grateful for you. For you, right this second, reading these words. You give me hope. 

So thank you, and a happy Thanksgiving to you.