thankful

I had an idea for spending some time, walking around the house taking pics of the simple things I am very thankful for, like as much clean hot and cold running water as I want, but with all the errands we had to run, I didn't get to it. Maybe I'll plan ahead better next year, and do it then.

We had to...

mail some thank-you-for-taking-us-to-Alaska pics. (Thankful for the opportunity to go on that fabulous trip. Thankful for parents who have always given us opportunities of various kinds, and who taught us to be careful with money, so that taking cool vacations is possible.)

pick up some library books that were on hold, before the hold ran out and the books went back on the shelves. (Thankful for living in a place rich enough to buy and house public books, and thankful books are a priority in my community.)

go to the new car dealership to show them the junker we will give up when the new car arrives. (Thankful that we have jobs and can move from a car that works, mostly, to a new one which will get better mileage and ought to work all the time, at least for a while.)

take the dog for his chemo. (Thankful for modern medicine. Thankful for Ann Arbor Animal Hospital, a comprehensive practice with a wonderful staff, very close to home. Thankful that the dog is doing as well as possible.)

run to the airport. (Thankful for modern transportation, so a kid going to college 500 miles from home can come home for a 4-day weekend. Thankful to have a kid who is focused and engaged and who does well in school, in the pool, with friends.....)

go buy a plunger so we have a clean one to use only in sinks. (Thankful for modern plumbing! Thankful that plunging the left sink in the kitchen got it unstuck. Thankful for a comprehensive hardware store that also has necessities like reading glasses. Thankful they had a new shipment. Thankful that I can see clearly 12" from my face and 24" from my face, and any other distance I choose, thanks to modern optics (and modern medicine to diagnose and prescribe my distance-vision needs).)

go get Chinese food for dinner. (Thankful for the diverse community in which I live. Thankful that people share their traditions and cuisines, enriching all of our lives.)

make pumpkin desserts. (Thankful for all the people who went before us, figuring out which things were good to eat, and how to prepare them. Thankful that we can use spices and other ingredients from all over the world. Thankful for natural gas piped into my home to use for cooking and heat. Surely thankful for heat at the turn of a dial!)


SURELY thankful for a partner (and kid) who, as a matter of course, take on some of those tasks.

Wishing all of you a Thanksgiving, organized or not. I always feel better, listing the things that make my life comfortable and rich. I hope you do, too.