Things I’m thankful for on this Thanksgiving
by V.E. on November 26th, 2009
filed under personal
1. Family and friends
I’m actually thankful for my friends and family all year round, but I hate it when people say “Oh, you should always be thankful”… Yes, I know, asswipe; let’s not make me feel anymore guilty than I already do, okay? I have the Puritan thing down pretty well, thanks. Anyway, I love my parents and brother and sister, my waterbrothers, and my other friends from LC and F&M who probably won’t read this today, if they ever do. I tend to be very hands off in my relationships, and I want them all to know I love them and appreciate them. I’m sorry if I don’t show it well or often enough.
2. My writing colleagues
I miss my writing friends most of all, recently, since I’ve been writing this memoir. I don’t feel like I’m close enough to reach out for help, even though I know they’d be here in a heartbeat if they could be. I had to move from my favorite city in the world back home after losing my job last year, and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to stay in touch with the people in my life who write. I need a community, whether I admit it or not, and I’ve found one in them. We may be different in a lot of other ways, but we all love writing, and I love them.
3. Positive role models
Like my parents, Helo and Athena, and other women and men who stand up for what they believe in, even through hard times. I know people whose idea of sticking up for something really important is attending a rally in support of that thing and that’s all. That’s not all. That’s a good start, but standing up is a lot harder when everyone is against you. I believe in well-thought out opinions and the good in people, no matter how much I decry them. I think humanity could use some more positive role models, and I hope that I am one, too, to some of my friends.
4. Diversity
I’m so thankful that I live in a country that—at least in theory—holds diversity as an ideal. I like learning about other cultures and customs and I think diverse opinions and backgrounds make us stronger, not weaker. I complain about my country more than is probably necessary, but I know that dissent is patriotic, when—in another country—it might get me reprimanded, jailed, or worse.
5. The internet
No, seriously. Without the internet, I would have much less to do, and I wouldn’t know that there are other people in the world like me. I wouldn’t be able to read manga or watch anime so readily, and I wouldn’t be able to so easily stay in touch with my friends. I wouldn’t have even be able to complete my MFA at Wilkes, since it’s a low-residency program. I’d be stuck in this house, truly a recluse, and even I think that I need a little more social interaction than that.
