Giving Thanks with Every Bite

Photo credit: Satya Murthy/Creative Commons

How often do you stop and say thank you to those people, places, and things that bring you joy?

If you’re anything like me, the answer is “not often enough.”

That’s just one reason why Thanksgiving is such an important holiday: It’s perhaps the one day all year when we shift our focus from work and other stresses, and focus instead on expressing gratitude. While we gobble down turkey and watch football games and get stressed out by our families, sure. But we can be thankful for all of that, too. To paraphrase the great poet Nicole Westbrook, this is a day not to be hateful, but to be grateful.

Actually, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s right up there with Fourth of July, Patriots’ Day, and yes, my birthday. I love most everything about it, from the parade to the pigskin to the pie. And I’m celebrating this year with a big smile on my face. That’s because I have a lot to be thankful for.

Here (listed in no particular order) is a public shout-out to all those people, places, and things that tomorrow, when I’m eating turkey, potatoes, bread and butter (#morebutter), etc., I’ll be saying thank you to with each and every bite.

Thank you, thank you, thank you — for all of this, and so much more.

• The French toast at the Station Diner in Newton Centre
• Patience
• Perspective
• My job, because I have one to be thankful for
• Warby Parker
• My parents, for instilling in me a positive, optimistic, hopeful attitude
• The Good Wife
• Early mornings with my nephews watching Dinosaur Train
• Twitter, which, despite its annoyances, continues to amaze me with its ability to build connections and relationships, and introduce me to new music, people, events, places, things, and viewpoints on an almost daily basis
• John Oliver
• The high road — especially those times when I actually take it
• LevelUp
• Chicago, my second-favorite city
• My niece, for, among other reasons, telling me she wants to go to Boston College so she’ll be near me
• AppleTV
• The fact that I don’t look, feel, or act my age — and that so many people are in disbelief that I’m actually as old as I am (I think that’s a good thing)
• Content marketing, for being an awesome, still-growing field to work in — one that’s filled with great, smart, friendly, helpful people
• FaceTime chats with Tali
• Steak Night at Ruth’s Chris, Abe & Louie’s, or Del Frisco’s Grille
• The last 15 minutes of the movie Whiplash
• My coworkers, who I learn from and laugh with every day
• Jessica Lange
• The Matty in the Morning crew, which keeps me laughing in the morning and when I’m listening to the podcast while driving home at night
• Jon Stewart’s Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell impressions
• My internal editor, which stops me from saying dumb things all the time (too often, really)
• The second-season renewal of You’re the Worst
• David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, and Paul Thomas Anderson
• Good humor … and Good Humor
• My new upstairs neighbor, who takes her shoes off when she gets home, likes rugs, doesn’t have a 50-pound black lab, and doesn’t vacuum her floor at 2 in the morning
• Shark Tank
• The Jason Mraz song “3 Things”
• The rebirth of Crumbs
• My friends, for their endless support, encouragement, setups, meals, laughs, referrals, challenges, and so much more. Thanks for sticking with me in tough times, putting up with me when I try your patience, hanging out with me when I need a partner in crime, pushing me to try new things and see life in new ways — and giving me space when I need it too. Life is so much better when you have good people to spend it with.
• This blog, which provides me with an outlet when I want it — even though that’s been less often these past couple years than I’d like it to be

And of course, a big thank you to you, my readers, for making it through to the end of this particular post and all the others I’ve written this year. I really and truly do appreciate it.

Wherever you are, and however you’re celebrating, I hope you can say you’re similarly grateful for as many people, places, and things this year, if not more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are YOU thankful for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. And please, show your gratitude by sharing this post on Twitter.