inspired by ray, everyone’s favorite cartoon cat, here is my list of 5 things i am thankful for:

  1. my family is healthy and supportive. there aren’t any big troublemakers and everyone pretty much likes each other and gets along. there aren’t any blatant bigots or intolerant types so that’s good. sadly, my dad voted for bush, but i love him anyway 🙂 in fact, way to stick to your guns, dad – even though everyone (your in-laws, sister, daughter) kept decrying your presidential choice, you did what you felt was right.
  2. i am free if physical or mental disease. ok, the latter is probably up for debate in some circles, but IN GENERAL i am healthy, always have been and i am glad i don’t have to worry about some horrible food allergy or dialysis or chemo or herpes or, you know, death, so i am fortunate in this area.
    • corollary: this is maybe shallow, but i’m thankful that, despite my body’s irritating refusal to get any taller, i came out pretty well in the genetic lottery. i’m not fugly and i’m not dumb (even though i do a lot of stupid things, posting this corollary possibly included) – when people see me they don’t shrink away in horror and i look back fondly upon high school calculus and that simpler time when i wished all of school was as fun as deriving. [commence laughter and ridicule at my love of mr. docherty’s aretha franklin rule.]
  3. i have a super boyfriend. i am not thankful that he is 2000 miles away, but at least now we get to work on our phone skills. five minute long silences have been almost entirely eliminated, although we’re both looking forward to him getting dsl at home so we can resume our choice method of communication: instant messaging.
    • corollary: i am also thankful that eric is healthy (i’m also thankful that he’s 6’2″ so he can reach things from high shelves and whatnot, but that’s more of a perk and not so much a thankful-ness-worthy thing. but still. it’s pretty handy).
  4. i am financially secure. i don’t have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck. i have money saved and invested.
    • corollary: i have a stable job at a stable place. it is hard to imagine how awful i felt at this time last year (when i still worked you-know-where) and the very fact that i have a hard time remembering…that tells me that i am much happier now.
  5. i’m thankful that i live in a country that recognizes and, in general, protects rights and freedoms that a lot of other places would laugh (or probably shoot) at. things aren’t perfect, but perfect is boring anyway. remember what happened in be a perfect person in just three days? all of the perfect people just sat around in a dim theatre, talking in whispers if at all and sipping weak tea. who wants that? no one, that’s who. speaking of which, where the heck is my copy of that book? it’s one of my favorites!