1.24 Family - Gratitude

Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Every day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the twenty-fourth day of the month is "Family."

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I'm not going to lie to you, my friends. I'm not writing this on Thanksgiving. I've written it most of it ahead of time because there's no way I'm going to fit it in otherwise.  A piece of gratitude for every day of the month.

Things I am grateful for:

1) My wonderful husband. I won't be too mushy about it, but he's supportive, hilarious, and just that right combo of grumpy and smart that gets me right in the heart.

2) Zelda the Cat and Hannah the Dog. Look, we are two child-free people who honestly would have very little to talk about it if weren't for the antics of our pets. Also, look at my kitty and tell me that you wouldn't do whatever she wanted you to do.

3) Evenings alone in the house. I don't get them as often as you might think, but being alone in the house is a blessing.

4) Access to modern medicine. I had to have a procedure done today and while it wasn't fun, it always wasn't terrible and it relieved my mind greatly. 

5) My mom. We texted about her dog today and she's so obsessed with him. I get it. He IS really cute, although maybe my feelings should be hurt that she's crazier about him than she is about me?

6) The ladies in my book club. Smart women who have smart things to say and also will let me talk about my dog endlessly.  I mean, what's not to love?

7) Yoga at the community center. Such a nice way to start the week.

8) The ability to vote. Things are kind of scary right now, but at my polling place, it was busy, but normal. There were no skirmishes, no raised voices, and it's such a privilege to be able to cast a ballot.

9) Can I hear it for my bloggy friends?  You guys, under the fearless leadership of San, NaBloPoMo has been a rousing success. I've found new blogs and have felt really supported throughout my job search and stress over a certain dog whose precarious health seems to be improving.  This blogging community is real and important.  So many people participating!   Let's bring blogging back to the mainstream. (Ha ha ha!)

Beckett • http://birchwoodpie.blogspot.com
Elisabeth • http://www.elisabeth-frost.com
J • http://jellyjules.com
Jamie • http://mostgladly.com
Jenny • http://www.runnersfly.com
Meike • http://www.homehereandthere.wordpress.com
Melissa • http://www.thebrightonjotter.com
NGS • http://www.ngradstudent.blogspot.com
Rachel • http://www.rachelinwales.com
San (me!) • https://www.theinbetweenismine.com
Sarah • http://www.harrytimes.com
Stephany • http://www.stephanywrites.com
Suzanne • http://www.lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com
Tierney • http://www.portmanteausuitcase.com
Tobia • http://www.craftaliciousme.com
Zenaida • http://www.zenaida.net

10) My giant extended family. One of my cousins called me because of family drama and it was so nice to just realize that I am part of a huge network of people.  The gossip's nice, too.

11) The library. It goes without saying that I could not possibly afford my own reading habit and all the great work that libraries do should never go unnoticed.

12) A Saturday with nothing on the calendar. Is there anything better than being able to sleep in and just read books on the couch all day?

13) A safe, warm home. Such a blessing to live where we live in this gorgeous old house.

14) Long-term friendships. Two of my best friends live in Columbus and I was able to see both of them just last month. My accountability buddy lives in New Hampshire and it's such a delight to be able to chat with her every day, even if it's just a quick check in.  

15) Finding a replacement for the ED at the community center. It's such a relief for me.

16) My fearless fitness instructor. I was asking her for a favor outside of her actual job of teaching fitness classes and she really came through and did far more than she needed to.

17) Hannah's neurologist. She's so good with Hannah and has not given up, even when Hannah was not helping by being a difficult case. She's consulted with other vets, called me after hours, and takes such good care of my dog. I am so grateful there are medical specialists like this in veterinarian care. 

18) The ability to do my job interview. Even if I don't get the job, it was good to get the experience of doing it and it gave me confidence that I'm a desirable candidate. 

19) My heated vest. It was so cold today and having my vest made walking Hannah much more pleasant than it would have been without it.

20) Safe places to walk the dog. We have so many options for where to go when we leave the house. We can basically go in any direction and have a lovely walk. We are so lucky to live where we live with sidewalks, safe neighborhoods, and lovely views.

21) Cell phones. How did we even keep in contact with our loved ones without them?

22) Having a husband who doesn't flinch when I call him into the bathroom to look "at this weird rash" in the morning. Ha!  What a guy.  Human bodies are weird, yo.

23) The family I married into. Sometimes I hear stories about in-laws that sound so nightmarish. My in-laws are generous, kind, and funny, although they do sometimes talk about disgusting medical things at the dinner table, so that's a tiny demerit. I'm excited we'll see them on Thanksgiving and am grateful that they welcomed me into their family lo those many years ago.

24) Bountiful food. I will not take for granted that we will have a full spread of food this year. It's hard times with inflation, food shortages, and such high travel costs that a lot of people won't be able to have their regular traditions or spend it with the ones they love and I'm grateful that we will be able to.