Family. I have the most amazing (albeit bat-shit insane) family a girl could ever ask for. Parents who put up with me and hold their tongue more often than not about what’s not going on in my life. A mother who listens to me talk about any and everything for as long as I like, giving me advice and her opinion whenever I ask for it. A father who, as much as he loves to act like an old grump, is a mushy family man through and through. A brother who makes me laugh until I’m crying, plays video games with me, lets me vent about all my problems, and is truly the only other person who understands how ridiculous my parents are.
I have wonderful aunts and uncles who fill the little spaces that my parents can’t and grandparents who spoil me rotten. I have nine wonderful cousins, most of whom I would go to the moon for; these are the people who will become a part of all my family traditions in the future, acting as brothers and sisters instead of mere cousins.
Friends. Oh, my heart is too full of love for my friends. I could fill pages and pages with my admiration for these people that have become my safety net, my saving grace. My four best friends from college are my soul mates. I was lucky enough to get a chance to live with each of them for at least a year in college, which left me with more memories than I could ever recall and more laughter than I ever thought possible. They are amazing to me, astounding me at every turn with how hard-working and intelligent they are. Sometimes it’s hard to be surrounded with people so full-to-the-brim with talent, because it’s easy for the jealousy monster to unleash itself, but mostly? I’m just completely in awe of them.
As if having four best friends wasn’t lucky enough, I have two almost-sisters and a handful of girls-turned-young-ladies with whom I grew up inside rooms with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and deafening music. Even though we all don’t see each other as often as I’d like, my dancers all have a spot in my heart, and it only takes a few notes of a familiar song to remind me of them.
I have a fellow dance diva that I met not in ballet class, but in freshman year of high school, and we’ve been friends ever since. We’ve been out of touch – another hard-working brainiac, that one is – but I just know when we reunite, it will be as if no time has passed. I have a pseudo-family who lives down the street, a trio of sisters (one of whom had the cutest baby girl ever last spring) who treat me as one of their own and whose parents let me eat ice cream out of their freezer without asking. I have a couple of guys who never fail to make me laugh or at least smile, and even though we mostly ‘hang out’ in AIM chat rooms, we have our own awesome dynamic going on. I’m so glad to have connected with them this year because they’ve lightened up a lot of my bad days.
The Internetz. It goes without saying that I spend a lot of time online. This one is less about being thankful for the actual internet (though I am glad it exists!) and more about the people I’ve met. Though I have yet to technically ‘meet’ any of you, I am grateful for all the people who lay eyes on this blog, who read my words, and especially those who take the time to comment. If I could, I would give the entire blogosphere a great big hug.
Music and dancing. It’s been a hard couple of years and most days, I have music playing from when I wake up until I fall asleep so that my thoughts are occupied with lyrics instead of dwelling on my life. I just enjoy music so much, which is underscored by my love of dancing. The worst days can be cured by playing an old recital song and remembering choreography or letting off some steam by making up new stuff to a favorite song. I would probably go insane without music or the ability to dance.
I’ve been absolutely terrible at commenting on other blogs this week – hopefully I’ll get around to it this morning as I sip my tea and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade – but in case I don’t, I wish all of my readers the happiest of Thanksgivings. Enjoy your day, whatever it is that you’ll be doing, and good luck if you’re heading out on Black Friday!
