Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

In no particular order…

I’m thankful for…

1. …God.
2. …my incredible family.
3. …my friends that might as well be family.
4. …my boyfriend and Colby (the pug).
5. …my health.
6. …my education.
7. …the fact that my parents raised me to be a good person.
8. …getting to live in an awesome house in Carytown.
9. …living in a great country.
10. …the people that protect our country. (Special shout out to my great friend PP!!! Can’t wait to welcome you home!!)

Sometimes I think about all of the positive things in my life and I literally feel a little guilty for having so much going for me when there are tons of people in this world who aren’t nearly as fortunate. Where do I even begin? I was raised by two loving parents who provided for me, pushed me to do my best and embraced the fact that their middle child was/is a tiny bit spit-fired. While not wealthy, I was certainly raised in a house rich with love. I beat cancer…not once, but TWICE?! I graduated from a good college – JMU. Although I’m not doing exactly what I want career wise, I have the brains to get me to that point and I KNOW I will get there. My health is fantastic! I’ve gotten to do a ton of traveling in the country! My life is RIDICULOUS! How much luckier can I get?!

I reassure myself that I’ve worked hard and earned a lot of the good things in my life and that I do give back… honestly… I can do more, give more and try to better a positive influence on more people. Most people, including myself has taken some time to reflect upon on all of their blessings, and yes, that is a great thing. But I think it’s time we also TAKE ACTION and reach out to someone who doesn’t have as much have and do something kind for them. I think we (including myself) forget how easy it is to do something nice for someone and how impactful a small kind gesture can be. I’m excited to step up.

Switching gears on the subject a little…

Although I’m very thankful (and hopefully this was made clear above) and do my best to be grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life, I’m actually not a huge fan of the Thanksgiving holiday. It just happens to involve a lot of things I’m not crazy about… it’s actually quite comical….
1. The Food… I KNOW!!! It’s insane that I happen to really dislike baked turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and especially mashed potatoes. But every year, I muscle down a serving of each of respect and gratitude for the cook who took the time to prepare such a savory meal.
2. Football. I hate it. When a game is stopped every 20 seconds for team pow-wows/play set ups/commercials it just loses my interest.
3. Parades. I just…don’t… get it. Even as a young kid, I was not entertained by giant balloon versions of my favorite characters.

What I DO like:

1. Having a family meal. I love spending time with my entire family. And I like the family-orientedness (so what if I made a word up?).
2. My dad’s homemade whipped cream… I literally ask for a bowl of just whipped cream because it is THAT good.
3. Late this morning I went for a 7 mile run with my brother (was my long run training day for the marathon)… it was a blast to spend time with him. I’m pretty sure we could turn it into a tradition. 🙂
4. Thanksgiving marks the day before it is socially acceptable to be in full-fledged CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!!!!!!

As you can see, like most things in life… the good outweighs the bad when you take the time to see it. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving!