I’m thankful for what I have and what I’ve had, and the luxuries I’ve been afforded along the way.
I wasn’t born rich, but I was born safe. I’ve never really had to fear for my life just walking down the street. I’m not sure how to be thankful for that without accepting that any other alternative is acceptable. It’s not.
Today I’ll be thinking of the people I love, the ones who are still here and the ones who are gone. I’ll be thinking of the carefree times and the difficult days and the friends and family who made both better. I’ll be thinking about how my grandma would have loved the pie I’m bringing for dessert. I’ll be thinking of the other families sitting down to a Thanksgiving meal with a newly empty chair, and how in some homes it’s incredibly unfair that those seats go unfilled.
I’ll be sending my love every which way this year and probably forever, and I am endlessly grateful for the option.

Advertisement

A short list for a long day

I am thankful for my organs, that function well on a day-to-day basis. I am glad my toes bend, and my arms work, and my pants fit. I am happy my Achilles tendons, though malformed, have supported me all this time. I appreciate all the smiles that surround me, whether full of shiny whites, spots and specks, or imperfect canines. I am so lucky to have work again, and more importantly, to feel like opportunities exist. Thank you bills, that bring me joy to finally pay. Thank you inconveniences, that underline the overall ease of my life. Thank you problems, that bring me closer to myself and others. Thank you words, for falling into place, and fingers for letting them drop. Thank you thanks, you’re welcomes, and how-do-you-dos. Thank you thoughts, truths, and shouts. Thank you diction, moods, and themes. Thank you capitals, lowercases, and the dots and swirls that freckle the space around you. Thank you love, for leaving so we could both come back. Thank you family, for quietly rebuilding my heart. Thank you friends, for incessantly bearing with me, even now, and even now, and even now. Thank you beginnings, middles, and ends, for knowing just when to show up to the party, and especially when to leave. Thank you, really – kindly, firmly, and often.