Thanksgiving again. A fine tradition that has me ordering desserts because I don’t bake pies and I’m okay with that. The Carpenter will pick the pies up because I’ll be helping to make dinner and he’s okay with avoiding that. This is how we roll.
But there’s something special about this Thanksgiving. I’m a big believer in the power of gratitude. In fact, it’s a daily practice for me. I write in a gratitude journal every morning before I begin my day. Simple entries like being grateful I have a comfortable bed. Hot coffee brewing in the pot. Another night of resisting the temptation to thump my snoring spouse with the pillows he chastised me for buying because I believe a bed needs more than two pillows. I figure every morning I wake up is a new opportunity to make choices for who I want to be, how I want to live. Gratitude is the easiest self-care practice I do, because I assure you, chin plucking is much harder, especially with bifocals.
This daily practice is a reminder that I cannot control what the day throws at me. It anchors me so if all heck breaks loose, I’ve at least started from a good place. I will return to it. And maybe tomorrow’s gratitude will be the fact that I resisted the urge to throw a stapler at anyone today. See? Nobody pressed charges.
To gear up for Thanksgiving, I challenged myself to create a list of things I’m grateful for beyond the things I normally acknowledge in my journal. I challenged myself to dig deep. Here it goes, things I am grateful for in no particular order.
Worms that show up on rain days, just happy to be there. Spin mops, because I love to step on the peddle and whip the water around. Best-before dates; it’s like a personal challenge. Tin foil. It’s shiny on one side and less so on the other, like it has a dual personality, plus it’s dangerous in a microwave; totally relatable. Green bananas. Chip clips (bonus points for the magnetic ones). Coloured pens that don’t bleed through paper. Polar bears. Also otters.
Black boards and white chalk. Chocolate-orange flavour combinations. Croutons. The way I feel when Tom Sawyer comes on the radio and I remember the words, which is remarkable because I will forget what I had for breakfast.
Pipe cleaners, because antennas are funny. Decaf tea; it feels like cheating but it’s not. Words like cacophony, hyperbole and superfluous. Giggle every time.
People who communicate by sending songs. Letters in the mail (here’s hoping). People who send me money (where are you?). British humour. American blues. Canadian women’s rugby. Spanish race car drivers. Freddie Warner (because George Kittle is injured, so he’s my new favourite player). Canadian writers. Swedish dish cloths. Butter. Bubbles.
Paint chips. Drawer organizers. Search-a-word puzzles. People who answer texts. All things citrus. Moccasins. Scotch tape. The colour orange. Handmade soaps made by my friend Amy, because it brings her joy and they make my skin feel amazing. She is amazing.
My Thanksgiving challenge for you is to write down 13 random things you are grateful for by Oct. 13. No judgement. Go.
I’m grateful you read this.
Happy Thanksgiving.
