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| Photo courtesy of Freshh Connection on Unsplash |
It is the week of Thanksgiving in America, and if you're at all familiar with the American version of the Holiday, your mind probably goes to the food instantly. You also may think about the day after Thanksgiving when people line up outside department stores waiting to get in for the Black Friday deals, and all of the chaos that ensues on Black Friday. Less than 24 hours after sitting down to remember what they're thankful for at the dinner table, a sizable number of Americans wake up ridiculously early for great deals on the hottest products of the year. Or at least what seems to be great deals anyways. I have absolutely nothing against Black Friday shopping, you can actually get some good deals to kick off the holiday shopping season. Some people also enjoy it for the sake of tradition, or for the experience itself. It's just a little ironic that there are a few people who will start fights over material items, less than 24 hours of remembering what they're thankful for. As if they couldn't have found the item they were fighting over on Amazon, possibly for an even better deal. But I digress, I majorly digress.
I'm just going to get to the point now. Although the food and the shopping are a huge part of Thanksgiving week in America, so is gratitude, as the name of the holiday may imply. Let's be honest for a second too. As much as we should be practicing gratitude year-round, it can be easy to get caught up in the stresses of everyday life. So it's nice to have holidays like Thanksgiving that remind us to be thankful for what we do have, big or small.
Okay, so full disclosure, but as I'm sitting here getting ready to blog about the things that I'm thankful for, I'm actually not feeling myself. I'm not feeling myself AT ALL! I swear, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and it only went downhill from there. I'm in such a grumpy mood that this was the last post that I wanted to start writing today. But you know what? That is exactly why I need to write this very post! Sitting in my own grumpiness, thinking over everything going wrong in my life, is not going to make my mood any better. It never has in the past. So perhaps practicing gratitude, instead of just pouting, is the answer.
1 - I am thankful for my family.
My family is by no means perfect. But is any family actually perfect? Although I sometimes feel like the "black sheep" of my family, I don't question that my parents love me. Even if I don't always feel like they understand me, and we definitely don't see eye to eye on everything, there is still a lot of love. One thing I've learned over the years is that you can disagree with somebody, but still love and care for them. And that someone can disagree with you and still love you. I've also come to understand that my parents have my best interest at heart, even if it conflicts with what I want for my life. Another thing that I always try to keep in mind is that my parents are from a different time, and they may not realize how much the world has changed since they were my age. My kids will probably feel the same way when they're my age if I ever have kids. Although that is a major if. But anyway, despite the differences that I may have with my family, I still feel that I am very fortunate with the family that I got.
2 - I am always thankful for my friends!
Most of my friends are people that I've met over the internet, actually, pretty much all of them are. But honestly, the way I see it, even if you might never meet all of them in person, online friendships can mean just as much as an IRL friendship. Seriously though, the conversations that I have with my long-distance friends can be just as deep as the conversations that I'd have with a friend that lives in the same town, if not even deeper. I absolutely love the conversations that I have with my friends, both the deep and the silly. My friends can really brighten my day, and I truly appreciate all of them. I can't thank my friends enough for listening to my rants, holding me accountable, supporting my dreams, sharing funny memes with me, and just for being awesome. And as someone who didn't have a lot of friends when I was younger, I am truly thankful for the friends that I have now.
3 - I am grateful for my spirituality.
Let me start off by saying that although I don't follow any particular religion, and I can't say that I'm a religious person, I am a spiritual person. I am not going to elaborate on it much, not today anyway, but I can say that my spirituality is a part of what helps to guide me through life. So that being said, I am thankful to have my spirituality as a part of my life.
4 - I am grateful for the learning experiences that I've had.
Although I can't exactly say that I enjoy these experiences and that I don't cringe looking back on them, I am thankful for the learning experiences that I've had. Even if some of them have been an extremely hard pill to swallow. Honestly, trying to be grateful for these experiences is a hard pill to swallow. I mean, honestly, I'd rather have gone without these experiences. Who wouldn't prefer to go without an unpleasant experience? But it's the unpleasant and painful experiences that we learn and grow from.
5 - I am grateful for modern technology.
I realize how superficial this may sound, but seriously, I am truly grateful for modern technology. Although it does have it's downsides, there are many positive ways that technology and social media have impacted my life. Not only has modern technology made it easier for me to make friends, and become friends with people that I'd have even met otherwise, but it has actually aided in my own self-discovery. I have actually learned quite a bit about myself by listening to other people's stories and being able to relate to what they were saying through YouTube videos and blog posts. I have also discovered many of my interests through the internet, some of them are things that I never thought that I would be into. Let's also not forget that, because of the internet, it's possible to turn even more of your passions into a career. You could potentially make a career out of gaming! I feel blessed to have grown up during a time where I got to watch technology evolve into what it has become today, and that it has evolved to the point where I can even use it to my advantage. It's also pretty nice not having to wait for my internet connection to finish dialing up before I can use it too, not gonna lie.
6 - I am thankful for the a-spec community.
One of the major things that I have discovered about myself is that I am demisexual, thanks to the a-spec community. Crushes have always been rare for me, I have to really know a person to become attracted to them. I also have to have a strong emotional bond with that person, so crushes are often extremely personal for me. But I did not understand why that was when I was younger. Especially in middle school, when it seemed that everyone had a crush, and I hated being asked who I had a crush on; since "no one" apparently wasn't an answer. So it came as a major relief when I realized that I'm demisexual. I may also be demiromantic, the more I look into it. If it weren't for the a-spec community, I would have never discovered this about myself. I would still be wondering why I don't experience attraction in the same way that others do. So I am grateful that I have this better understanding this of myself now.
7 - I am thankful for the fact that I don't have kids. (Sorry, not sorry.)
I probably just made a few people cringe with this one. As people with kids are often thankful for their kids, as I hope that they would be. I also know that all some people want is to become parents, and if you're one of those people, I wish you the best with starting a family. But personally, I'm not so sure I actually even want kids, not at this point in my life anyway. So I'm thankful that I don't have them. It's no secret that children are a major responsibility, and I am nowhere near ready for that kind of responsibility. Nor am I ready for the sacrifices that I would need to make. I enjoy my personal time and my freedom way too much. Although I do want someone to love unconditionally, I feel that a fur-baby would be better for me. At least for now, and the foreseeable future. On a real note though, can we please stop judging women based on whether or not they choose to have kids, or if they even can have kids or not?
8 - I am actually very thankful for my Tumblr account getting terminated.
I can't say that I was exactly thankful for this when it happened. Honestly, I was pissed when it happened. All of the hard work that I had put into my Tumblr was gone. The theme that I had spent hours upon hours on was gone. I didn't even get an explanation as to why my Tumblr was terminated the day after Thanksgiving in 2018! My blog didn't violate Tumblr's new rules against adult content, as I didn't even care to see adult content, let alone post it. But you know what? Although I am still a little bit salty that I didn't even get an explanation as to why my Tumblr account was terminated, losing my Tumblr account is what really motivated me to start blogging for real. I actually wanted to start this blog for quite a while. I actually had the URL for this blog for quite some time. But I wasn't truly motivated to start writing until I had to find another use for the time I'd normally spend on Tumblr. So I guess you could say that everything happens for a reason, as I've quickly come to love creating content; rather than just reblogging other people's content.
As stressful as life can sometimes be, there is still so much to be thankful for. Whether it's the big things, the little things, or even the superficial things, a little gratitude for the things that you have can go a long way. It may not solve all of your problems, it probably won't solve all your problems, but at the very least it can help you to remember what you do have going for you. When I started writing this post, I wasn't exactly in the best mood. And while I can't honestly say that my mood is 100% better, I can say that sitting down and even trying to remember that I'm grateful for really took the edge off of the grumpy-ass mood I was in. I'd say my mood is at least 70% better. So if you're reading this and you also happen to be in a bad mood, I challenge you to take a moment right now to remember what you have to be grateful for. Actually, why not take a moment to remember what you're grateful for right now, regardless of your current mood?
Also, one more thing, but if you're going Black Friday shopping, remember to be kind to retail employees. They are doing the best that they can. It actually wouldn't be a bad idea to show them a little bit of gratitude and thank them for what they are doing. There is absolutely no need to be rude to retail employees, or to anyone else for the matter.
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