What Am I Thankful For?

2009 has been a roller coaster year, and a few weeks ago I was ruminating on the sheer drama of it all. It occurred to me that I couldn’t really think of a year that wasn’t like this, and then I had one of those lightbulb moments (you know – the kind where you want to reach over your head and bust the bulb into a million piece? yeah, one of those). This is life, or at least adult life here in the good old United States. It’s not going to change, so why fight it?

Then a week ago I was sitting with my friend Kris, and we were grousing about the things that writers like to grouse about. How to you find the time to write? How do you flip on your muse? Where do those moments of inspiration come from, and why aren’t they constant? We shared stories and frustrations, and again, I had one of those light bulb moments: we’re writers. This is what we do. We should be thankful for having these problems, because it means we’re living “the dream,” or at least our individual versions of it, anyways. Every frustrating moment of writing (or not writing, as it were) should be savored, because at least we’re in it, in the thick of it. We’re doing it.

It may sound cliche, but here’s my Thanksgiving gratitude list. Despite the myriad serious stresses in my life, I have a ridiculous amount to be grateful for. Sometimes it’s easy to lose site of all that, but then it’s time to pull out your squee-gee and wipe the shi!t from your glasses and carry on. Drama will always try to cloud your vision, but that doesn’t mean you can’t clean your windows every damn day to deal with it.

What am I grateful for?

(In no specific order)

• I am grateful for all of you, every day. The people who read this site, who comment, who stop in now and again to say hello. It really does mean the world to me, and makes it all worth it. So thank you, my awesome readers. You really do kick ass.
• I am so completely and utterly thankful for the writers in my life. In addition to the greater community, there are a handful of you who have made an IMMENSE impact on my life and career, and have gone out of your way to guide me through the choppy waters that is our industry. And when I say writers, I mean bloggers as well. Because you write, and you write with gusto.
• I have been blessed with mentors who not only know their art and craft to the degree that I’m dazzled by their savvy, but they actually care about me as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you, every minute of every day.
• I have a wonderful husband, and despite all of the obstacle and speedbumps in our marriage, we’ve still managed to keep it together. We genuinely love each other, and we’re learning to be friends as well as lovers. It’s a tough road. I’m glad to have you with me on it.
• I have some of the most amazing friends in the world. I’ve severely pruned my social circle over the past few years, and the few of you who are still here, in addition to a few new, solid friends who I’ve met over the past year or two, mean more to me than words can express. I only want good people in my life, and you are the very core of that.
• My immediate family has been a never ending source of love and support. I may not tell you this often – which is unforgivable, really – but thank you so much for loving me, warts and all.
• I am unbelievable grateful to find my new (old?) extended family, which I never knew I had until just a few months ago. You filled a gaping, lifelong hole by giving me context, by giving me people who I resemble, both physically and otherwise. I’ve never had that before, and you welcomed me in with open arms. I love you, cousins!
• Thank you to the powers that be for dragging me through the last five years of my life, kicking, screaming, bleeding and dying, so that I could pop out on the other side, bewildered but so much richer in perspective. Everything happens for a reason, even the drama and the toxic garbage. I always say that I wouldn’t take any of it back, even the icky health stuff. One hundred years ago I would have died, but I was born here and now, where I survived.
• Thank you Universe for everything. Yes, everything. The good, the bad, the ugly. I live a technicolor life, and while some of the colors might hurt your eyes, it’s so much better than black and white.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! What are you grateful for? What’s touched you this year, or for many years, that deserves a nod?

Here’s a recent post from Dianne Jacob that talks about gratitude in simple things. Have any other posts or articles touched you for the holiday?