Tuesday, December 20, 2011

#ThinkKit11 Day 20: Grateful for being grateful ...

It's 11:50pm on the East Coast, so I'll try to keep this one brief, although it's a topic we should think about more often, not just during the holidays ...

Tuesday, Dec 20: Gratitude
What are you grateful for this year?

I am going to remember this calendar year as one of the most stressful years I've ever encountered. From wrapping up the Masters degree, to the continuing challenges of Job Hunt 2011 (now becoming Job Hunt 2012), to having to depart Indianapolis to save some funds, to trying to keep my dog fed during this time of stress ... well, let's just say save for a few good events, there have been several times I've been waiting to hit the "reset" button, or at least the "fast forward" button, to get to 2012.

However, even through this year, there have been plenty of people, places, and things I have been grateful for in 2011. I won't go into a big diatribe on each ...
  • Family: They've been my rock. They've always been my rock. When I started this adventure for Masters #2, I knew I was venturing off a "safe" path, and going down a treacherous path of an unknown destination. They've taken me back in (temporarily), while I continue job hunt. While on my contract, my parents & sister re-adopted my dog as theirs. They've cheered me up, they've cheered me on, and they believe. For that - I'm grateful
  • Good Friends: We all have different varieties of friends. Friends from our youth. Friends from graduate programs. Friends with common interests & beliefs. Friends that believe in you, thick and thin, regardless of how loud you yell "Hey, y'all! Watch this!" Sometimes, a phone call or a quick email from a friend - even a long lost friend - can make your day or week.
  • Indianapolis: Can you be grateful to a city? Yes. For each item wrong in a city environment, there are fifty items right. The city has given me joy, it has given me inner peace, it has given me relaxation, it has given me culture. If you give yourself a little time, think about it for a minute or two. Whatever city you live in - aren't you grateful you live in that city? If you're not, why are you there? Life's too short, and you're never too young/old to dream big.
  • Avon (IN) & Carbonadale (IL) Panera Breads: Hold on, I know - why single out two specific Panera Breads? Easy. When you're in a big city, most Panera Breads will have a 30-minute WiFi limit during the lunch hours, mostly in order to keep people moving through. These two gems - no limits! I cannot even fathom how many hours I've spent at each of these places ... just, um ... leave me an outlet, please.
  • "Bubba4": One final recognition needing explanation. Bubba4 is my laptop computer, an HP Pavilion dv9000. The original "Bubba" & "Bubba2" have long met their makers, and "Bubba3" is my desktop computer. Over the last 4 years (since December '07), I have put Bubba4 through the wringer. It's been dependable, it's introduced me to social media, it's finished a Masters degree with me. There were times I wanted to punch its lights out, curse at it, fly it some "angry birds" - but it's still going strong, bagel crumbs and coffee stains and all.
Look, let's be honest, there's too much to be grateful for. And perhaps that alone - no ... definitively ... that's what I'm really grateful for. I'm grateful for being grateful.

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