Thanksgiving in February

Some things I'm thankful for, off the top of my head and in no certain order:

~My mom

~My wonderful friends

~New days

~Earth, wind, and fire -- both the elements and The Elements ("Fantasy," in particular)

~Bodhi -- oh dear, she's going to be upset that she wasn't listed first!

~Dear, sweet Bodhi gets a second listing because I love and appreciate her that much. Even though she often smells, sheds like a motherf*cker, and eats my house.

~My job. Yes, it's beyond frustrating most days, but that's more the people and the red tape than the actual work itself. If I just dig in and focus on the work, I can almost remember why I wanted to do it in the first place. Plus, one of my best friends works there as well so that's pretty damn sweet.

~Some great friends at work. They make even the most difficult days more enjoyable.

~My brain. Which is why I need to start taking better care of it. I'll be working on being a kinder, gentler kickball partier this season. Watching too much Celebrity Rehab has me concerned that my brain is starting to resemble Dennis Rodman's!

~My heart. Both literally and figuratively. As for figuratively, as much as I get hurt over and over again, I'm glad -- to some extent -- that I'm a big mushball. It allows me to love my friends, family, and strangers openly and without fear or concern for self. Unfortunately, that's one of the things everyone keeps telling me I need to work on. Have to develop a hard candy shell for this sweet chocolate interior! :)

~My overall health. So far, so good. Save for some circulation issues and memory loss, I'm chugging along pretty well. Let's hope that keeps up!

~My house. There, I said it. Yes, it needs a ton of work and no, I don't have the skills or money to do much with it now but dammit, it's mine! I have a house. And I was tremendously lucky to get it when I did. It shelters me and Bodhi and it's my safe haven when things just get a little too hard for me out there. So I guess I really should start taking better care of it. Hmm...add that to the list. Take better care of myself; take better care of my house. :)

~Hope. I know without it, life is pretty unbearable. I've been there; I tried to leave my world when it was hopeless and I'm still here. Sometimes I think I know why, other times I have absolutely no clue. But I do have hope. For me, my family, my friends, and the world as a whole. It's part of the reason I hurt so much over so many things. I wish we could all just let the BS go and take care of and love each other. It's all there really is when you get down to it.

~This here blog. Sometimes it's an obligation, sometimes a frustration, but more often than not it's something I enjoy -- and hopefully some of you do too!

~Words. Laughter. TREES. The ocean. Most animals. The hundreds of things or people on any given day that make me smile. That remind me it's all connected.

Anything that feeds me spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically. I am so blessed and appreciate it all so much. And since I'm still -- even with all of this -- struggling, let's dust this off one more time:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.