Thanksgiving, Quirky Style

I just finished reading Cecily’s Gratitude post over on Uppercase Woman. She’s a writer I admire, largely because she’s just real. To be honest, people who always go on about sunshine and roses and look-at-my-perfect-kids-and-my-super-happy-life kind of piss me off. For awhile I thought that it must be some sort of jealousy. But, now that I’ve had time to really mull it over I think it’s more that I believe they’re lying. Maybe to me, maybe to themselves. Or maybe they’re trying to prove something. I don’t think complaining all of the time is healthy, and not everyone is going to feel comfortable airing their “dirty laundry” in public, but life ISN’T always sunshine and roses. And if you only put the happy-go-lucky stuff out there, you’re denying a part of what it means to be human. Either that, or you’re incredibly shallow. I’m certain that other people see this in a different light, but this is my blog, so that’s my take on things.

Cecily defined her gratitude in her post this year by listing some of the experiences in her past that she’s thankful aren’t part of her Thanksgiving this year. It resonated with me, because sometimes I do that, too. When a day (or a week or a month) isn’t going quite like I’d hope, I remember. The lows in my life help me appreciate the everyday normal. That is actually a bit of a gift, because there are plenty of people out there who have never had to deal with anything more than a hangnail or a bad breakup and, as a result, they don’t seem to be able to be happy with the mundane. They feel like they don’t have enough. They can’t appreciate the little things because they’re always looking for something else.

But, guess what? This year, I’m not just at everyday normal status. This year, I’m feeling happy and, more importantly, positive. I can go one step further than being thankful for this not being one of THOSE years: I’m just thankful for the year that it is, independent of everything else. This year was a good year.

This Year:

My family was reasonably healthy (and my hives went away!)
I met some fantastic people who have impacted my life (in good ways) forever
I’ve received recognition for my writing and my work from people I respect and admire
I co-founded Boston Parent Bloggers and we launched it with great success
I had some amazing opportunities this year that gave me the chance to grow, learn and connect

This year, I feel like the work that I’ve put in on myself, my work, and even my parenting have started to pay off. That’s valuable to me