With Thanksgiving being next week, and knowing that I'll have about negative 10 minutes of downtime during then, I decided to go ahead and bring you your #basic Thanksgiving "what I'm thankful for post." Except not basic at all, because let's be real, if you know me, then you know I'm anything but basic.....except my love for PSL's and yoga pants, but that's entirely unrelated. It's a funny thing though, thankfulness. As I'm sitting here thinking about what all I'm thankful for, the thought crossed my mind of, "Am I REALLY thankful for that or am I just appreciative?" Because as painful as it is to realize, those two things are not the same. You can appreciate something or someone without really truly being thankful for that thing or person. That can be a hard pill to swallow. Something I've learned recently is that you sometimes have to accept people for where they're at, and not expect them to be anything else, and in turn be what they need you to be in that moment, especially if they're someone you are thankful for. Because chances are, that person is thankful for you too, and excessive expectations typically only leads to disappointment and one or both getting hurt. So with that being said, I give you my unabridged "What I'm Thankful For" List:
**I'm thankful for my Lord and Savior first and foremost. He's always first. Always. There's no doubt in my mind that I would be in an entirely different place and be an entirely different person if had not been for the amazing love and grace of God. If you've been following my blogging journey or just know me in general, then you know the dark place that I was brought out of and the amazing opportunities that I've been given since then. Through my struggles with anxiety and addiction to perfection, I have grown so much closer in my walk with the Lord and He has provided for me in ways that I never thought were possible. He loves me when I don't deserve to be loved and comforts me when it seems like there is no hope. He made me perfect in His image and his grace covers me in ways that I don't even understand. He's my perfect Savior, and he's mine.
**I'm thankful for my family (how super generic of me), but seriously. No family is perfect and all of them have their cracks and strains and crazies, but at the end of the day, they're still mine. I'm thankful that my mom gets mad at me for having the exact same smart alec attitude that she has. I'm thankful that even though my dad lives ten hours away, I still am blessed enough to see him, my stepmom, and my God-given adopted brother regularly throughout the year. I'm thankful that my mom remarried someone who doesn't treat me like a step-child, but HIS OWN child and works above and beyond what a normal person would do to provide for his family. I'm thankful for those three other little loud humans that are asleep right now, because yes, they drive me nuts and I contemplate selling them to the circus on a weekly basis, but they love deeper than some grown adults. And they're mine.
**I'm thankful for my best friend who is probably doing one of two things right now: watching Gilmore Girls for about the zillionith time or feeling lame for already being in her pajamas and ready for bed. Or both. You rock those pj's girl. You're my #bffinabox and no one in the world gets me like you do. You've seen me at my absolute worst, and yet still love me despite all that. You know things about me that I'm too afraid to admit to myself, but yet you remain patient until I come to my senses. Our conversations never really feel like they last almost 2 hours, even though they usually do. You're beautiful inside and out, even though you rarely see it.Your encouragement and prayer is one of the things I hold most dear. Despite the stupid mistakes I've made and the people that I let dictate who I let into my life, you've stood by me. And I know you always will. Because you're mine.
**I'm thankful for my other best friend, you know who you are and more than likely you're reading this not too long after I post it because I told you to. Gosh, has it really been 12 years? Do people even stay associated with each other after this long? Probably not, but we did. Because we're both insanely weird. You also get me like no one else does, but in an entirely different way. I can't even put into words how well you understand me. You've always been my best friend, even when we weren't what would normally be considered "friends." Even when we went years without speaking, there were times that you were the first person I'd want to tell certain things to, because I knew you'd understand. We've always had this crazy, undeniable connection that is just sometimes plain scary. At such a young age, you've already been through more than most people go through in their entire lives, and yet you still have this ridiculously positive outlook on life, and I love that about you. You're amazing, and I don't want you to listen to anyone who tells you different. I just want you to know how much you mean to me, and that I'm here for you, being patient, no matter what. Because you're mine, loser.
**I'm thankful for having a job in a field that I've prayed and worked so hard for. Most people who graduate from college end up in a place that is nowhere near what that $50,000 piece of paper says they're qualified to do, but I did. Sure, it's anything but easy. In fact on most days, it's downright overwhelming, but then every day I'm able to hold my head up and say, "Yeah, I'm a nurse. I save lives on the reg." Having a job where you get to touch people's lives EVERY. SINGLE. DAY? I mean, it's no contest. The funny thing is, I think some of the patients I've had have touched my heart in ways that I could never repay by simple medicine and treatments. I'm blessed with my job, because I see healing both inside and out. And not just with my patients, but with myself as well. It's crazy and hectic and scary, but it's all mine.
There are obviously tons of other things I'm thankful for, and trust me, I could go on for days. But then this post would be 20 pages long, and let's be honest, no one wants to read that. But I want to leave you with this: Be thankful, and not just this month, but every month, every day. Because you never know when someone or something will be taken from you in the blink of an eye. Hold tight to those you care about. Tell the people you love that you love them, even when it's hard. Because we're not always promised tomorrow, and those people and things you're thankful for? They're all yours, and they're all you have.
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