Happy Thanksgiving Eve, friends! This is my absolute favorite holiday and while things will definitely be different this year, I am still optimistic that it will be a lovely day. Over the weekend, I saw someone on Instagram do this A-Z challenge for things that happened over the year and I thought it might be a fun exercise for thinking about all of the things I’m thankful for this year! I am certain I left something vitally important off this list, but here’s what I’m thankful for in this crazy, weird year:
A – Apartment. I am thankful that I was able to move into a bigger, more updated apartment and that the move went as smoothly as possible. I love my new place so much!
B – Biden winning. I am so, so, so very thankful that Biden won the election. Another four years of Trump’s nonsense would have been disastrous for our country.
C – Cats. I am so thankful for these cute cats of mine! They are so affectionate with me and make me feel so loved. It was much easier to get through those isolating early days of the pandemic with them by my side!
D – Dachshunds. Specifically, my fur-brother, Chip. 🙂 He is the sweetest little monster who always gets so excited when he sees me. I am so thankful for him and the way he makes me laugh!
E – Etsy. I am thankful for Etsy sellers, especially those who pivoted their businesses to create cloth face masks. I have found so many cute, well-made face masks through Etsy!
F – FaceTimes with Mom. Back in the early days of the pandemic, my mom and I started FaceTiming with each other every day and we’ve kept it up, even though we see each other regularly. We rarely text each other anymore, haha—now, we just FaceTime one another whenever we have something to say! I’m thankful for technology and the way it keeps us connected, and so very thankful for the relationship I have with my mom.
G – Games on my phone. I am addicted to games on my phone! There is just something so calming about playing a silly game while listening to a podcast. I am thankful to have this little outlet. (Favorites: Candy Crush, Wordscapes, 1010!, Four Plus, and Match 3D.)
H – Health. I am thankful that I have remained healthy this year. In fact, I’ve been even healthier than in previous years since I’m not working in an office anymore. (Not one single head cold—knock on wood!) I’m so thankful, though, that I haven’t been diagnosed with COVID at any point and neither has anyone in my family. That’s something I do not take for granted, considering how many families have lost loved ones this year.
I – Instagram. I love Instagram. I really do! It’s one of the few social media platforms I follow closely. I try not to scroll incessantly (I have a 30-minute daily limit) but I love being able to share my life and follow my friends’ lives. I am thankful to have such a fun escape from the everyday!
J – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I am so thankful for this woman who did so much to bring about change in our society. Because of her, I am able to lead an independent lifestyle without needing to be married. She left behind an amazing legacy.
K – Kindle. I am more thankful than ever for my Kindle! When the libraries closed down early on in the pandemic, I was glad to be able to use Libby to fulfill my reading needs. I was downloading e-books like crazy! I like reading a mix of physical books and e-books, but this year might be a bit heavier on the e-book side. Thank heavens for my Kindle!
L – Listening to podcasts. Where would I be without my beloved podcasts and SMM panels? Whether they’re keeping me informed, making me laugh, telling me a story, or introducing me to a topic I don’t know anything about, podcasts have helped me through this crazy pandemic year. I am so thankful for the content creators of podcasts and SMM panels who continuously push out content for us to listen to for free! With the assistance of SMM panel, businesses can effectively manage their social media presence, connect with their audience in meaningful ways, and amplify their reach and engagement, fostering stronger connections and brand loyalty.
M – Marco Polo. Early in the pandemic, my book club had a Marco Polo group chat going on but it got a little unwieldy to keep up with, ha, with six different people chatting. Nowadays, I use Marco Polo for a daily check-in with my friend M. I love the Marco Polo app because it allows me to get my thoughts out without being interrupted by others, which is the plight of the quiet person. I am thankful for this little app and for my friend M. who really kept me grounded this year.
N – Naps. OF COURSE, I AM THANKFUL FOR NAPS! Naps are my absolute favorite and are made even better when I have a snoozing cat by my side.
O – Opportunities. I’m thankful for the opportunities to grow my skills this year at work. I’ve taken on more challenging writing tasks and have asked for and received other responsibilities that I’m really enjoying.
P – Poll working. I am thankful that I was able to be a poll worker this election season! I am also thankful that I pushed through my social anxiety to do it because it was not an easy task for me! But I had a lot of fun and learned so much about the election process. It was a very long day, but was totally worth it.
Q – Quiet days. Working in an office can be hell on the senses of a highly sensitive person, and it definitely was for me. I am so thankful to be working from home now and to be able to set up my work life in a way that appeals to my HSP nature. I keep my apartment dead silent all day (no TV, no music, nada) and it’s so conducive to a productive working environment for me.
R – Reading. I am so thankful for reading and that I was able to read voraciously throughout this pandemic. I know it’s been a struggle for a lot of people! But reading has always been my source of comfort and my appetite for reading only increased when I was stuck at home for so many months.
S – Surprising friends. It was so much fun to throw these birthday surprises for my friends this year! We tried to plan them so that our friends would be super surprised like the time my friend thought she and her husband were going to walk their dogs… only to find out we were on her sidewalk! Or the time a friend thought another friend was coming by to pick up a yoga mat… but it was actually to be surprised by all of us! Eeks… these surprises were so much fun to plan! I am thankful to have such thoughtful friends!
T – Talking about my life. I am so thankful for this blog and my little corner on the Internet. I am grateful to everyone who reads, everyone who leaves a comment, and everyone who emails me. My blog is such a cathartic space for me, a place for me to talk about my life and work through my emotions, and I don’t know where I would be without it! I am also so thankful for all of the friends I have made through blogging. You all mean so very much to me!
U – Unity. We all came together this year not just to help stop the spread of this awful virus but also to elect a decent, kind, empathetic man to the White House. Not everyone came together, of course, as there is unmitigated spread of the virus right now and 70 million+ people voted for Trump, but I am thankful for the people who put their lives on hold, always wore their mask when in public, and voted for hope and change.
V – Vaccine research. Gosh, am I ever grateful to the scientists and researchers and study participants who have helped in getting a COVID vaccine to market. I can’t believe we are looking at an actual timetable for this vaccine to be ready for essential workers and high-risk people! Amazing.
W – Working from home. I am so thankful that my company moved to a fully remote workforce in mid-March when the pandemic hit. And that my company continues to monitor the case numbers as well as how its employees are feeling about remote work life, so much so that they decided to change our entire office! As mentioned previously, we’re going to be changing offices and using the new one as a coworking space, so I’ll be able to continue working from home for as long as I want. So very, very thankful for that!
X – eXtra time with the cats. Oh yes! One of the best benefits of working from home full-time is getting so much time with my girls! I’m pretty sure they love it just as much, evidenced by the way they like to sleep on my desk and meow at me for pets any time I get up from my desk. 🙂
Y – YouTube ASMR videos. I spend at least 15-20 minutes every night watching an ASMR video on YouTube. There are so many great creators out there, and I am so thankful for what they do. Their videos help to calm my mind and put me in a very relaxed state so I can fall asleep easily.
Z – Zoom writing dates. I think everyone is thankful for the magic of Zoom for some reason or another, and for me, I am so grateful that my writing partner, M., and I were able to use Zoom to continue our weekly writing dates even when everything was closed. We met every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and I usually got to see her sweet baby (who loved smiling and laughing at the baby she saw on her mom’s computer screen, hehe!), so that was a delight.
Tell me something you’re thankful for by choosing the letter of your first name! 🙂
S – Seven! My daughter is seven and so far it’s been an EXCELLENT age. She is still small enough to want to snuggle and hold my hand but she’s old enough to watch fun shows/movies together and have interesting chats with and cook together. It’s been so great and one of the surprising upsides to this pandemic is how much more time we get to spend together.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This was a fun exercise, I bet! I did a thanksgiving post earlier this week and it felt so good to think about what I am thankful for!
L – Life. I’m thankful that we are bringing another life into this world!
S – Sunshine. It’s not very nice out right now but we had some beautiful, sunny fall weather and it really lifted my spirits!
I love this so much! And yet, I’m having so much trouble just thinking of one thing that starts with A. That’s… kind of pathetic, given how awesome your list is. Loved your “B” choice, by the way. I was going to go with “Books”, but that can obviously go under another letter. 😉
Anyway, I’ve decided that this year, I’m grateful for All of it. Really! The good (there was some!) and the not-as-good. Why? Because honestly, compared to so many others, I am so fortunate. My not-so-goods are likely “greats” in someone else’s life. I’m also grateful for what the year has taught me in terms of my adaptability (ok, there’s another “a”). I didn’t think I had it in me. Turns out, I kind of do. A little. 😉 Hope you had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with the fam!
As always, I am batch-catching up on some of my favorite blogs, so excuse the comment-galore… this is a great list (I am bookmarking this blog post idea!) and you’re right, there is still so much to be thankful for.
I definitely am thankful for technology (FaceTime!) during these strange times, my health and Biden winning!