On Thanksgiving I wasn’t feeling very thankful. I’m not a fan of tradition for the sake of tradition, killing turkeys, or football. But I’m not an ungrateful person. I guess it’s just that I can’t show gratitude on demand.Anyway, here is my incomplete random list of things that I am thankful for:
1. living in a neighborhood (pictured) where the crime has decreased since I’ve moved here.
The guy who causes most of the trouble around here has chilled out since an incident in the summer. There are some new neighbors in the next building down who are quiet and hardworking, which is a good combination in my book. This is not a ritzy area. Things have been and could be much worse.

2. craigslist.
This afternoon I picked up a dresser that I found on Craigslist. It was inexpensive, sturdy, and the color goes with my other furniture. I like being able to buy/take things secondhand when possible. No sense in chopping down more trees if it’s not necessary. My old dresser was salvaged from the curb about two years ago. It was in rough shape, but held up for longer than I expected it to. I know some people are grossed out by the idea of curbside finds. There are things I definitely would not take–anything covered in mysterious substances or having an odor. The money saved on furniture goes into my coffee and biscotti fund.

3. volunteer work.
In a few weeks I will be starting some volunteer work for a place that does sociological research. A couple years ago I was very involved in Food Not Bombs, and learned that while I may agree with an organization’s goals, I might not care for the kind of work I’m doing in the organization. Why fight that? My strengths are writing and research, so I think that I am more effective if volunteering my time in those ways.

4. the Willimantic Food Co-op. I’m a member and wish I could go there more frequently. Right now it’s a trip I only make when there are other things for me to do in Willimantic. I went there today and remembered why I loved living in Eastern Connecticut. The place is so laid back. In all my trips there, I’ve never encountered high strung individuals freaking out about insignificant things in the grocery store, as I’m apt to encounter weekly at the stores in West Hartford. No eye rolls or audible sighs if I’m taking too long at the bulk bins!

5. my jobs. There are definitely times when work stresses me out, but I feel grateful that I can’t relate to a lot of the jokes/references made on sitcoms about evil bosses and conniving co-workers. There’ve been jobs I’ve worked in the past, mostly in retail, that were demoralizing and made me crave a lobotomy. I know I’m lucky to have bosses who make rational decisions about 99% of the time and who try to show compassion toward their employees. In our culture, I think we’re all supposed to want to be “in charge.” I’ll pass on that. It’s responsibility (headaches) that I don’t ever need, even if my paycheck would let me feed my shoe and bag addiction. The other part of this is the good coworkers. I’m not going to say that I love everyone I work with enough to jump in front of a bullet meant for them, but there’s nobody who seems pissed at me for no reason. I know I can set my coffee down and I won’t return to find rat poison in it. And, for the most part, I do think that everyone is there for the right reason–educating people. We might not agree on the best way for that to happen, but I don’t think anyone is working just to make a name for themselves.

6. the students that I’ve taught this semester. I can’t get over how smoothly this semester has gone for me. In the past I’ve had a few students who’ve seemed angry at me, maybe resentful, because they were required to take a first-year writing course. Others have seemed annoyed about having to do the work. It can be a revelation that college is not going to be like high school, and for those who were able to put in minimal effort in high school and get by, college can be a shock. This semester was different. Nearly all of my students showed respect and maturity in the classroom, tried their best on writing assignments, and didn’t openly whine about having to do work. When I don’t have to waste my energy on ridiculous classroom management issues, I can put much more into helping them with their writing.

7. being able to take classes for free. I know that if I were working on my Ph.D or submitting my writing places, I’d be “focused on my career.” Right now, I just want intellectual stimulation that doesn’t involve anxiety (“Will they reject this?” “Will I get this approval?”).

8. my location. After having such short commutes, I don’t know that I could ever go back to long drives. I like being on a bus line, being able to walk to work. I like knowing that if there’s a blizzard, I can put on my winter boots and walk to the grocery store, diner, library, museum, etc.

9. provincetown, alaska, and northampton. To me, these three places are like the happiest places on earth. Like Willimantic, what all three of those places have in common, at least in my experience, is very friendly people. There is also a sense of safety that I experienced when in those areas.

10. no-fault divorce. There are many people, including myself, who were not forced to remain married to unhappy, unreasonable, or violent individuals. I know that my life today would be extremely difficult if I had no way out. I would not have been able to get my MA, for starters. Divorce is spoken of still as this stigmatized, horrible thing. For so many people, divorce is the best thing that happens in their lives.