Both Sides of the Coin

On a gray and rainy Thanksgiving morning, I offer two sets of things for which I am thankful this year.

The first list is a product of the Thanksgiving potluck at work, when I impulsively restricted our "what we're thankful for" exercise to exclude friends, family, and health. Upon further reflection, here are my top five in this silly category:

1. My KitchenAid mixer, which I will bust out as soon as possible after Thanksgiving to start making cookies for various events.
2. My almost-complete spreadsheet that shows my entire gifting list: what each person is receiving, where I'm getting it, how much it costs, and the date of purchase.
3. That the first season of one of my favorite shows ever is coming out on DVD!
4. That Penn State made it to the Outback Bowl and I have an excuse to make yet another batch of chili.
5. That I did not have to do anything for Thanksgiving. Seriously. I just showed up.

On a more traditional note, here are the top five things for which I am thankful when everything is fair game:

1. My husband, especially when I realize that we have more fun everyday. He is totally my BFF. We should get half-heart necklaces.
2. A relatively quiet year of settling in (in comparison to the previous year of crazy).
3. Our house, and that it actually feels like it's ours; we're not house-sitting indefinitely.
4. The comfort of old friends and the excitement of making new ones.
5. The luxury of taking time for myself this year.

I'm taking the first hour or so of wakefulness this morning to be on my own and quiet. It occurs to me this year, more than any other so far, that I'm thankful for so much more than can be summarized in one sentence in a circle of holding hands. I will simply go through it all in my mind as I'm curled up in a blanket, looking out into the thick November clouds.