Gratitude

This was suppose to be my Thursday reflection, but I was enjoying time with family and being present. Sometimes journaling loses its power when it becomes a source of stress or obligation. So, I allowed myself to enjoy my present and then reflect today.

It bothers me on a fundamental level that we have a day, albeit with strange historical connections, but a day dedicated to being grateful for the things we have in our life. Then we follow this day with expected gluttony in buying all sorts of material goods. It seems to me all our traditions that should be grounded in family, love, and relaxation quickly turn into stress over material things. So I wanted to make a list of things that I am truly grateful for that have nothing to do with the superficial.

• I am grateful for the laborers, workers, truckers, and anyone else involved with the process of growing, harvesting, and then delivering my food. These industries do not get enough love, but without them working hard and doing the dirty work we would not have been able to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast. 
• I am grateful for my parents who have shown me the powers of hard work, working through problems, sticking things out, and resiliency. I never worried about anything growing up. I was always taken care of and given the space to make my own mistakes. 
• I am grateful for my job and the amazing kids I get to work with every single day. I learn from them as much as they learn from me. I go to work for them and when I do that work is enjoyable and worth it. They are worth it. 
• I am grateful for my aunts and uncles every single one of them are unique souls who have quirky passions and always showed me the liberation of being yourself. Whether it was training border collies, reading crime novels, horseshoeing, or softball I always saw them as true individuals who were uniquely them.  
• I am grateful for my cousins who have always made me feel safe, made me laugh, and made being weird feel normal. I have so much love for them and I hope they know that.  
• I am grateful for my brother who has given me two awesome nieces and a really cool sister-in-law. He also gave me a love for soccer and I enjoy our mutual looks when our parents are being strange. Sometimes you just need that person who quietly and without words understands your thoughts. 
• I am grateful for my amazing work friends who bring me Jamba Juice, suck at Trivia with me, and are always there when I need them and always making me laugh even when things aren't as dire. It is their friendship that has turned Monterey from a temporary place to a true home. 
• I am grateful for old friends who have seen me through some tough times. Yet, always stick around and are still a big part of my life. 
• I am grateful for my adventurous friends who have traveled with me and have taken on new cultures. Never being dramatic and just having fun as we explore the world.  
• I am grateful for my friends that I have made through various hobbies like tumblring or Artists On Demand. You have challenged me and have always been a source of comfort. 
• I am grateful for my all my SFSU credential folk who helped me survive an insane commute and an interesting classroom management class. 
• I am grateful for the small things in life that bring me joy. Tea, coffee, whiskey, good beer, non-buttery/jammy/offensive wines, soccer, SF Giant games, good music, fantastic road trips, sunsets, hikes, beaches, and all the little things we sometimes miss when we are upset. 
• I am grateful for strangers who have passed through my life and had meaningful conversations with me. Like for instance this old man in Ireland named Jim he sat down next to me and told me about his wife. He told me something I always think about which is that people focus too much on getting a wife or getting a husband, but truth is anyone really just needs a best friend. Sometimes the strange people you avoid are actually teachers. 
• I am grateful for my resource teacher Mrs. Rosen for believing in me, loving me, and yelling at me. I knew she cared about me. I knew she would always be honest with me. I knew that she would defend me too. I am who I am in terms of confidence, resiliency, because I had an amazing adult who never ever made me feel stupid and always fought to empower me. 
• I am grateful to be a citizen of the world with so many beautiful people, cultures, places, belief systems, and I truly embrace the desire to keep learning. My brothers and sisters of the world have much to teach me even if it looks different doesn't mean it doesn't have true value. 
• I am grateful that I have always followed my gut. It has led me down some wrong paths, but it has never led me too far astray. It has always connected me to the next dot. Sometimes you have to learn on your own and I am grateful that allowed myself to do that. I am also grateful for all the people in my life who have helped me prepare for it too. 

Thank you for existing. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Together we will keep reminding ourselves what we have, so we can be more productive to achieve the things that matter most to us.