Thankful (in no particular order).

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful that it's a long weekend, and that I got two restful days in Stratford during said weekend. Oh, and the weather's been insane! It's like another taste of summer. It makes me feel that winter will never ever arrive!

Anyway, taking time to reflect on what you're thankful for is important, and I'm going to take this post just to do that. So here's my thanksgiving thankful list (which I really should do every year) in no particular order.

~ I'm thankful for my job. I get to wake up each and every morning and do something that I absolutely love, and something that makes a huge difference in the lives of many. In addition, I get to work with some of my closest friends. Plus, I've taught some pretty awesome students in my years. I need to remember how lucky I am when I start to complain and get sucked into the vortex of negativity. I am thankful that overall my job is awesome.

~I'm thankful for my parents. They haven't had the easiest lives, but they do their best, and they rock for it. My dad cooked up an awesome turkey this year, and it was nice spending some time with them this weekend. Sometimes I get so mad at the universe because of my mom's illness, because I feel like stuff would be so much better if she wasn't sick. But, she's strong, and such a great example, and I'm lucky to have her. And my eccentric bizarre dad. :) Oh, and I'm thankful for my aunt who lives in Stratford, and is an immeasurable support when it comes to all parent-stresses. (Except she can't make my dad less bizarre, that's for sure, ha-ha.)

~I'm so thankful for my friends. They're all spread out over the place, and rather hard to keep track of sometimes, but seriously I have LUCKED out in that area. It's pretty cool to have so many people who care about me, like me for who I am, always want the best for me and have their fingers crossed for me at all times.

~I am thankful that my pal Claire and I have had the good sense to schedule monthly phone-calls. We used to always say "we should chat on the phone!" and then a year would go by. We just chatted yesterday, and it was lovely. She always makes me feel better about the silliness in my life (i.e. chocolate almonds).

~I am thankful for the furry monster who lives with me. She has completely lost her street cat humbleness, and can be especially demanding for her treat at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning, but she's cuddly, good-natured, funny, and cute too.

~I am thankful for the AMAZING music that has come out this fall. I've spend my weekend listening to the new albums by Feist, Ohbijou, and Jack's Mannequin, and they are all great.

~I am thankful for running, and that I haven't given up on it this time. I've started running at least three other times, and gave up when the couch-to-5K program got too hard. (Or more likely, I was running it too fast and tired myself out.) Well, somehow, I got it together, and I'll have run four 5K races this year (after next Sunday). I had a great run today (to work off all the turkey, stuffing, and pie I ate last night), and running does wonders for my state of mind. Oh, and the new Jack's Mannequin is a great running album by the way. I'm thinking maybe next year I'll try a 10 K since I feel that I've gained much more endurance than I used to have.

~Okay, I'm going to get mushy here, but I'm really thankful for Jason. Seriously, I am a lucky girl. He loves music and shows just as much as I do, and it's nice having a built-in concert buddy. I bet he'd even go see Jack's Mannequin with me (I might have to bat my eyes a bit, and ply him with beer, chickpea curry, and cupcakes... but they're not playing Toronto anytime soon, so it's a moot point). But more importantly, he's sweet, caring, funny, supportive, and a really good boyfriend (as Becca T pointed out when she met him). He'd carry my bag for me no matter what, and I don't think he minds hearing me ramble on about how someone calls croissants "cold socks" after I've had a couple glasses of wine.

~I'm thankful for blogging. It gives me an outlet where I can vent, and it's created an archive of my life. More importantly, I've met so many great friends from this little hobby of mine.

~Lastly, I'm thankful for my life. I live in a city that I love, have a permanent and secure job, freedom and opportunity to travel, and I want for nothing. A lot of people in the world would love to have my problems, and that's what I have to remember when I'm letting myself sink into some vortex of negativity. I have a great life, with so many great people in it, and that's what is important.

What are you thankful for this year? (American friends, consider this practice for your later Thanksgiving!)