8 Things I Am Thankful For This Year

It is Thanksgiving, and this year’s holiday brings the anxiety of the fact that I am graduating college in exactly 22 days without any idea of what is next. However, despite the anxiety of what is next, I still have a lot to be thankful for this year, from the little things to the larger ones.

1. Friends (old and new): During the course of my anxiety, I am so lucky to say that I have a support group of friends that are always there for me, from my best friend Gabu who is across the world, my friend Griffin for hearing me cry when my ex boyfriend broke up with me, my friend Paige who has helped me figure out the craziness of dating, and the many others who have been there for me for my ups and downs. I also am lucky to have met so many cool new people in 2016, such as my friend Sydney (thanks mom for introducing us!), my friend Thanh from my time at the Odyssey and my friend Thomas from my involvement in the Yale Luther House. To all of my friends, I want to quote Elton John by saying “how wonderful life is when you’re in the world.”

   

2. My dog: I am so lucky to have a dog in my life who brings such joy and comfort in my life when I need it. Maggie has been my best friend for the past 11 years, ever since we bought her home with her broken leg. I am grateful for her sassiness, even though it can be annoying.

   

3. My mom: My mom and I sometimes do not get along. However, at the end of the day, I am lucky to have a mom like her. My mom is a single mom, and struggled to make ends meet. However, she always made sure that she was there for me as a kid, and always made sure that I was never without. Now, she was read nearly everything published that I wrote, and is constantly my biggest supporter. Thanks to my mother, I am graduating debt free, due to her encouragement to go to a state school rather than a private one.

   

4. Having the opportunities to work in my field before graduating: I would have three and a half years of journalistic experience before I even put on a cap and gown and got my Bachelor’s Degree. Thanks to those opportunities, I was able to grow as a writer, and be able to get the education only experience can get, which is something that I am grateful for.
5. Having the opportunity to get an education: It is sad to say that not many women, or even people, in this world still do not have the chance to get an education. Yes, I complain about college a lot. But, I am lucky to be able to go to school, to learn, and to be molded as a person. Whether they may be writing classes, literature classes or even a class in a social science, with every class I learned something that I did not know.
6. Books: Reading has always been my favorite pastime. When I was little, my mom would never refuse buying me a book. That fueled my love for reading. As an adult, I read one to two books a week, depending on how much free time I have and how difficult the book is. Reading has always been something that has relaxed me, but also informed me. With a book in hand, I travelled with Hillary on the job, solved a mystery with Sherlock and Watson, and sat in on the trial with Atticus Finch. I also learned how to take the wheel on my own life, and was swept up in many chic-lit novels penned by Emily Giffin and Sophie Kinsella.

   

7. Family: I have a crazy family, but I have a lovely one. I have a grandma, who may not know what she is saying, but she acts out of love. My grandfather is my guardian angel, who watches me from above. I also have a string of cousins, crazy but supportive who help me out during times of turmoil and support me in times of gratitude. Furthermore, I am also lucky to have a great second family: thank you Tim, Kari, Bethany, Manu and Gabu for welcoming me into your home and treating me as if I was your third child, as well as the delicious dinners I have sampled over the years (thanks Tim!)

   

   

8. My jobs: For the first time in over a year, I can honestly say that I am happy with where I am at work. I have worked in workplaces that are toxic, and have had some negative work experiences. As I am set to leave them upon graduating, I am so lucky to have something that is hard to say goodbye to. To my Accounts Payable and my Southern News coworkers, thank you for being an awesome place to work in, despite all of the struggles that occur.

This Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year?

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