What Are You Thankful For?

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching us, it is important to recognize and remember all or the things we are truly thankful for.  With out hectic schedules and stress levels and trying to fit way to many things in before Thanksgiving break, we sometimes forget to take a second to think about all of the wonderful things we should appreciate.

When I think of what I am thankful for, quite a few stick out to me the most.  I can't even begin to count how many there actually are, so I will give you the five that immediately come to mind:

1. Family: I know this is almost everyone's first answer to what they are thankful for, but this is because family is such an important aspect of our lives.  Family is the backbone of my stability. They are my main support system and caretakers.  Let's not forget about how much we secretly enjoy all of the holiday chaos and disfunction, mainly because we are spending it together as a family.  I am so fortunate to grow up with the privileges, laughs, memories and unconditional love that my family provides (disfunction and all) and I realize that I do not thank them enough for this.

2. Home Friends and School Friends: I emphasize the specific types of friends because I believe they are different and I am extremely thankful for both types of friends.  They say you make your best friends in college, which I also believe to be true, but I could never forget the best friends I grew up with who have also made a huge impact on my life.  I am thankful that I have made these friends in college that I will stay connected with for the rest of my life. Going home for thanksgiving break gives us time to appreciate the friends we have at college and the opportunity to catch up with old friends at home.

3. Breaks at Home: time to do whatever you want to do with whatever amount of time you have. Whether you have a ton of things planned or work to do over breaks, there is usually enough time to focus on yourself and do what you want to do.  My favorite time of any week, day or month is when I do not have to follow any specific schedule or fulfill anyone else's obligations.  Breaks give us the opportunity to sit on the couch and be lazy, or exercise, or eat a bunch of junk food without regrets, or plan activities we would never have the time or motivation to do in your regular weekly schedule. You finally have time to focus on you, which everyone needs once in a while.

4. Guilty Pleasures: because we can't forget about the freedom to binge watch Gossip Girl, indulge in a whole carton of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, listen to and belt out the entire soundtrack of Wicked, sleeping in late,  planning your dream wedding on Pinterest, pumpkin-spice lattes, excessive online shopping, or whatever other little pleasures you need in your life.

There is so much in this beautiful life to be thankful for.  Never take that for granted. :)