Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us - well, almost anyway. As we speak, I'm packing to go to Florida for the next five days to be with my dad and his family. Okay, so that's sort of a lie because, as we (or, I guess I) speak, I am typing on my newly founded blog. I'm about halfway done packing. Packing sucks, but this is not the time of year during which I should be resentful. This is the time of year during which I should be giving thanks, so that's what I'm going to do.

First of all, my cousin, Jennifer, had a baby today. She's the first cousin on that side of the family to have a child, so yay, the family is expanding. She had a healthy baby boy whom her and her husband Mike named Tanner James. He's the first in a new generation - my grandparents are officially great-grandparents. Our genes are spreading. Hooray! It's a bittersweet birth, though. My aunt Jeanine (Jennifer's mom) passed away in 2006 quite unexpectadly, so with every new celebration of life on that side of the family, there's always a lingering reminder of death caused by the absence of my aunt. I'm pretty sure my family won't dwell on that, though. I'm sure it will come up - probably when we're all gathered around the dinner table, stuffing our faces this Thursday. But we come from resilient stock, so we won't stay sad for long. I guess it's a fact of life - in order to be able to celebrate the good in life, you have to let go of the bad. You can't let the bad eat you alive and I guess humans, with the exception of the severly depressed, are able to do that quite well. Our minds are incredibly adaptive that way. I suppose it's an evolutionary thing - we're instilled with emotions and cognitive awareness so we can form relationships, build communities, and thrive, but we're also able to learn from our mistakes, put the past behind us, and get on with our lives so we can be strong, healthy, and productive. That's another thing to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for my job. I feel this is something I should feel particularly gracious about given that millions of people in America are losing their jobs in a troubled economy. The publishing industry has a reputation for being resilient during economic downturn, and this is still holding true to a certain extent this go-round, but there are still signs of trouble. Borders is barely holding on, publishers are laying off people every day in order to cut costs, instead of bonuses, people are getting salary decreases, and the fabled glamour of the publishing industry (fancy lunches, copious amounts of booze, swanky author parties) is being compromised due to smaller budgets. A friend of mine who works for a to-remain-nameless house told me yesterday that the company holiday party would be held at the office this year instead of at an outside venue. Boo hoo, I know. I didn't get into this field so I could eat well. I got into it because I love the work. I get excited about it. I feel proud when I see a book I worked on on display at Barnes and Noble. I'm fascinated by the people I get to meet and work with on a daily basis. But, I will say, that when you're working a lot (though, I'll be the first to tell you that my hours aren't nearly as long as some other people I know) for a relatively low wage (though, once again, I know people who make less), it's nice to have perks. Regardless, I'm thankful I have a job - especially one that I like.

I'm thankful for my friends (that's right, the three of you who are reading this right now). I've had a rough past couple of months dealing with some personal issues that I don't feel the need to bring up here (hence the use of the word personal), and my friends have been ever-so-patient as I've talked their ears off about it, asked them for advice, and then, in most cases, ignored that advice and continued to do things that are bad for me. But, I will say one thing. I know people who don't have that network in their lives. Who don't feel they have anyone to turn to even when they're at their lowest. So, for all of my friends, family, and co-workers to whom I've cried this year (I'm guessing that's about a dozen people because I'm a compulsive crier), thank you. I am grateful for you.

I'm thankful for my health (yes, I'm turning on full cliche mode right now, deal with it) - both mentally and physically. I've had a few friends and family members struggle with health issues (once again, both mentally and physically) and, while most of them have come out on top and are doing better, I'm thankful that, as of this moment, the biggest health problems I have are scoleosis and a tendency to become overwhelmed by stress.

So, before this post becomes too long and pointless (or is it already too late?), I'd like to give a brief, out-of-context, partial list of other things for which I am thankful:

Barack Obama, good beer, alternative perspectives, good books, bad books that are fun to ridicule (*ahem* Twilight), fuzzy yarn, cozy hats that fit, electricity, dance music, tiramisu, nice-smelling shampoo, donuts, warm yet form-fitting sweaters, tea (and coffee, but mostly tea), bagels and cream cheese, Twix bars, pandas, funny videos of cats (like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP3TyjOLfJk ), cuddling, the Universe, cognitive behavioral therapy, words like magniloquent and lubricious, and pie (always pie!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Brooke