the important things

Tis the day of every year when Americans plan an entire day around one, usually very traditional meal that inevitably sends everyone into a tryptophan-enduced food coma. 

It's also a day to give thanks for the good things in your life... like being lucky enough to have enough food on your table to send you into a tryptophan-enduced food coma.

A lot of people on social media spent the past few weeks saying one different thing they were thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. I thought that was a cool idea, and considered  doing it myself, but it seemed like a lot of pressure. Having to come up with a different thing to be thankful for 27 days in a row? I could see that getting snarky or superficial pretty quickly (especially in my sarcastic brain) and that would defeat the purpose of recognizing the really important things I'm thankful for, which have been front and center the last two months because those two months have kind of really sucked.

See, when the going gets tough, recognizing the important things is really easy. 

When a loved one dies, you miss them and wish you had more time with them. Time is precious and so is family. I am thankful for the precious time I've had so far in my life with my loved ones.

When a loved one's health is jeopardized, you miss the time when health wasn't a constant worry and hope for recovery. I am thankful for modern medicine and trained doctors who can remove disease from a person's body and help them eventually feel better. I am thankful my mom is on the road to recovery. I am also thankful for my own good health to date. 

When a lot of stuff goes bad in your life at one time, you miss being able to laugh and wish for more carefree times. You also need a shoulder or two or five to lean on. I am thankful for my rocks, the friends in my life who take me out for wine and let me vent, give great hugs, call to check on me and my family, and in a few special cases pray for me (and get their whole church to pray for my mom). I don't know what I'd do without my friends.

And when it pours rain, you miss the warmth of the sun and wish for brightness. I am thankful I've made it through the last two dreary months and can smile again. Being too emotionally exhausted to actually experience life is no way to live. So even though one part of my life is still in a potential downward spiral, I'm choosing not to focus on that.

One of my favorite inspirational blogs had a post a few months ago titled, Nine Things You Do Not Need to Be Happy. This line flew out at me, because I truly believe this, but often forget it: "The best thing you can do it let go of what you can't control and invest your energy in the things you can." It also says the formula for being happy is to do your best and appreciate what you have.

So that's what I did today .... and will continue tomorrow and every day after. Focus on the good things and appreciate them while I still can.

You don't need a tryptophan-packed turkey dinner for that.

gratitude

Gratitude is defined as "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness."

Today is Thanksgiving, an annual day Americans gather together to eat too much food, watch parades and football (snooze) and spend time with family and friends. It is also a day when we reflect on what we are thankful for.

Looking back, this year has been one of major transition and personal growth for me, more than I can remember in many years. I experienced amazing kindness from both expected and unexpected sources. I saw things I didn't think I'd live long enough to see and visited beautiful places. And I experienced loss, which helped me grow and will quite possibly end up being amazing for my life in the long-run. I feel like a very different, much stronger and more secure person than I did a year ago. And I have much to be thankful for....

My family -- As crazy as we are, I love each and every member of my wacky brood. I am thankful that my mom is coping well with her MS. I am thankful my 82-year-old grandma made it through knee replacement surgery in March and that my aunt and uncle are there to take care of her. I am thankful that my little sister called me all ticked off and ready to kick some ass when I got laid off in September. I am thankful my little brother was there with me to see the Kings get their asses kicked in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals in June, and that my dad was there with me to see them win the Cup in Game 6. I am also thankful that I have parents who support me in good times and bad, that my dad is around to answer my financial questions and my mom is here to help solve all my household plumbing problems. :)

My friends, new and old, who are there to laugh with me when I'm happy, listen to me when I need to vent, and lend a shoulder when I need to cry. I am thankful for those who walked a 5k around the Rose Bowl with me to raise money for MS Research, and all our friends and colleagues who sponsored us. I am thankful for the amazing group who made donations and granted my special birthday wish to an extent I couldn't have imagined. And I am thankful for the friends who pushed, prodded and encouraged me to finally go to Italy, and to those others who helped me plan and prep for the trip, so I could finally see this with my own eyes.

Modern veterinary medicine -- A year ago, I feared I would have to say goodbye to my sweet cat Lucky, when he was diagnosed with renal failure. But thanks to a vet who cared and whatever strength allowed me to overcome my fear of needles and give him IV fluids everyday (+ a mom and two friends who took care of him when I traveled), Lucky's numbers are thisclose to being in normal range again and he's gaining weight and looking like his majestic self again :)








Freedom -- I feel as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders two and a half months ago. And I'm thankful that I now have the time and financial security to sit back, reflect and figure out how to make a living doing something that keeps a smile on my face vs. stress in my neck. 

Miracles on Ice -- I still can't quite believe this happened...

... but I'm very thankful I was still alive to see it, and was lucky enough to be in the building as it did. If that was the last NHL game ever played (which is sadly looking like the case, at least for this year), then I have no complaints.

Happy Turkey Day!

happy belated turkey day!

I was too busy cooking (and watching The Social Network) to blog on Thanksgiving, but wanted to offer further proof that I am getting more adept in my awesome kitchen -- my mom even said so!

The turkey going into the oven (ooh..it's kind of a hidden Mickey ;):

The juicy, delicious turkey after four-and-a-half hours in the oven:

And my Thanksgiving table, with a twist: What on the table is slightly awry? (Meaning Dad messed it up before I took a photo :P Add a comment below with your guess.)