Drip, drip, drip. That’s what I awoke to this morning. Cold rain against the window on a dark morning. My sore nose that kept me awake all night in need of Kleenex.
I went to bed angry at the woman who sprayed me with mucus on a four-hour bus ride from New York City on Sunday.
So I woke up this morning in a really bad mood. My throat hurt and my head was pounding. The 40-degree, rainy morning slapped me in the face.
Then I remembered it is Thanksgiving.
After a steaming cup of white tea, appreciation washed over me. I became thankful for tea, Sudafed, Tylenol and for generic-brand cherry-flavored throat spray that expired in 2002 but still brought relief.
Now I am ready to give thanks. Most people will honor the day by expressing their gratitude around the dinner table. Mine would take too long, so I’ll do it here.
Today I am thankful for:
- A couple of hours of alone time, while my husband and son run a 10-kilometer race. I will be even more thankful if they return free of injury and colds.
- The fact that, even though it was my turn, and yesterday was my stepmother’s birthday, she and my father are hosting dinner today. If I had to do it feeling the way I do, I’d be crying right now.
- My son’s safe arrival home, on 420 miles of angry interstate and foggy mountain roads.
- Community—my church community, my family and friends, colleagues and clients, the Jazzercise girls and my neighbors
- The best weekend ever in New York, and the 25 years of marriage that led to it
- Running water, a toilet that flushes, light that comes on whenever I flip a switch, heat (and I hope within the next three weeks, the installation of central air conditioning)
- Punctuation
- Medication
- Elvis, the homeless cat who brightens my life once or twice a day.
Now, let’s watch the parade.
Word Nymph 