It’s no lie that the world and the United States have had a difficult past couple of years. For Thanksgiving this year, I want to write down 22 things that I am grateful for to reflect on the positive that has happened.
- My daughter, Hazel. She was born in December of 2020 and was such a blessing in the middle of the pandemic. She continues to amaze me every day.
- My husband, who is always ready to help out and is an optimist human compared to my pessimist self.
- My family. Both my in-laws and my family are involved and supportive in our lives.
- My friends. This year, I’ve really been able to find my group of friends at work and in life. It makes the days so much better and fun getting to have those people in your life!
- My health. I may not be the healthiest human being, but my body works like it’s intended and I’m able to function with little pain in my day-to-day life.
- My home. We’re in the process of building a home (very early process), and sometimes I can get caught up in all the things I want to change about my house, but it’s our first home and where we started as a family. We love it and it will be bittersweet to leave.
- My neighbors. We have wonderful neighbors that I’ll miss tons when we eventually move.
- My pets. Even though the dogs and cat can be overwhelming, the snuggles and unconditional love make up for it.
- My job. Being a teacher is hard, but everyday I still wake up loving what I do.
- My students. Going along with number 9, I am grateful for my students, past and present. They are what make the job worth it.
- Technology. Technology makes my life and job so much easier. I’m able to communicate with people, have information at the drop of a hat, and share information just as easily too.
- Sleep. I don’t get much of it anymore with a toddler, but when I do get to have a good 4-5 hour stretch, it is heavenly <3
- Nature. This year, I’ve been finding myself more grateful for the changing leaves, sunshine, rain, mountains, and flowers. Just soaking up the beauty and appreciating them more.
- A savings account. There are some people and families that can’t afford to put money away into savings. We are extremely lucky and blessed to be able to do so.
- Dancing. We have Disney dance parties fairly often in our house!
- Cheese. I love cheese, it’s my go to snack. Thank goodness it exists. It’s also one of my daughter’s favorite snacks too 🙂
- Heated seats. My heated seats in my car have been wonderful to have these past few weeks when it’s been freezing cold outside.
- Bluey. If you’re a parent and haven’t seen Bluey yet, you’re missing out. There are episodes I watch that make me tear up at the end and my daughter is entertained long enough for me to do that one chore I need to do!
- Sense of taste. In my family, we love to eat. I’m glad that I have my sense of taste to enjoy eating and to eat good food!
- Co-sleeping. I’ve co-slept with my daughter since she was about 7 months old. Now she’s in her own bed, where I join her halfway through the night. I love the cuddles and I know that eventually we won’t have them anymore, which is heartbreaking to think about.
- Fuzzy socks. I love a great pair of fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm in the winter.
- Massages. I keep all my stress in my neck and shoulders. If I don’t have that tension released, I get awful migraines. I love professional massages, when my husband squeezes my shoulders, the massager that I got as a birthday present, anything to relieve that tension.