annie blooming

I’m thankful to have my whole family be healthy and in good spirits. I’m thankful that 25 years later, my parents still are an example of a great love, but even better, a great friendship.

I’m thankful for cheap plane tickets and anything deep fried and cheesy.

I’m thankful for the lunches my students bring in for me every class. They are simple meals, tucked into humble little boxes of styrofoam. They cost no more than $1, but they keep my stomach from gnawing at its own lining each morning.

I’m thankful for my boyfriend’s omellette’s, especially the ones that come on Sundays, in bed, with a hearty portion of just-this-side-of-black bacon.

I’m thankful for Tekima, for being equal parts inspiration, confidant, and fairy god poet.
I’m thankful that I’m a teacher. That though I never once really aspired to be one, I can now say with some confidence that I can hold my own in a classroom. It’s fun, and I’m to-the-ends-of-my-pinky-toes-grateful that I get to do a job that gives me something more than a paycheck or a line on a resume. It’s a job where, on most days, I pause in the middle of it all and think, “Fuck, I really enjoy being here.”

I’m thankful for Charlin, whose wisdom surpasses her years, whose humor make silver out of every dark cloud, and whose friendship sticks to the bones.

I’m thankful for ginger tea, honey and a squeeze of lemon juice. I’m thankful for poets and lovers and gold earrings.

I’m thankful for my hands. Though the cuticles are worn and the nails ragged, they’ve created materials to teach with. They’ve stood in for words when I didn’t the right ones. They’ve written poems and love letters, embraced old friends and greeted new ones, and this year, they learned their way around pots, pans, and a cutting board.They are small and, on most days, unremarkable, but I love them because they have given more pleasure than they have pain.

I’m thankful for every unfortunate circumstance and every poor decision, for reminding me of the depth of my flaws.

I’m thankful for cheap alcohol and the faces one makes after consuming too much of it.

I’m thankful for the motley crew of misfits that I’ve befriended in my time abroad. Though my circle has grown smaller in some ways, the ones who’ve stuck are uproarious and glorious. They can hold their liquor, even if they can’t keep a secret. They’re faithful, even if they’re godless. They’re messy, debaucherous, and a tad unreliable. But, they are admirable, because they are unafraid and unashamed of being themselves. They are characters, but more than that, they have character. In short, their friendship is the keeping kind.

I’m marrow-deep thankful for the friends who defy distance and time zones.

I’m thankful for heroes, villains, and trusty sidekicks. For stories that haunt and teach and bruise. That refuse to let you look away. That force you to remember.

I’m thankful for music to dance to. I only regret not dancing more.

I’m thankful for a love that forgives. For a love that teases and laughs. For a love that is content to just sit in its own funk. For a love bold enough to celebrate itself, so assured in its own goodness it could not fathom anything else.

I’m thankful for a love that sees.

I’m thankful tor a life filled with so many opportunities. So many hidden alleys to explore and bottles of wine to drink. So many more dresses to swish my hips in on Saturday nights and litter my floors on Sunday mornings. I’m looking forward to many more kisses and tears and belly laughs.

I’m thankful for so much water to swim in, so many more miles to walk.